Beyond The Stars
by Mariah April May
Summary: Elena G, a forensic psychiatrist is assigned the biggest case of her life. Damon S, a cold, ruthless contract killer who serves the most wanted mafia family. He's the only link to Godfather and Elena's job is to convince him to help the forces track down the Godfather of Cosa Nostra. Fate takes a twist when the cruel hitman confesses his love for her. Four Episodes. A lethal love!
1. A beast am I?

**Title: Beyond The Stars**

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 **Summary:** Elena G, a forensic psychiatrist is assigned the biggest case of her life, Damon S, a cold, ruthless contract killer who serves the most wanted mafia family. He's the only link to Godfather and Elena's job is to convince him to help the forces track down the Godfather of Cosa Nostra. Fate takes a twist when the cruel hitman confesses his love for her. His love is mad, passionate and dangerous. He wants her at all cost. He wants to become a better person for her. He wants to redeem for her. But redemption comes at a cost. Elena finds herself torn between her duty and love.

Three Episodes. A lethal love! A journey for redemption and a journey for a happy ending.

 **Warning:** Since the plot revolves around Mafia and lust for power. Don't expect the characters to be moral and righteous. Damon is portrayed as a criminal so he would act as such. He is a bad guy with no remorse. And Elena will have her frustrating moments too. Also warning for language and sexual content in future chapters.

The dealings and goverenment procedures are fabricated and have no connection to real world (Duh!)

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 **Disclaimer: All characters belong to their respective owners.**

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 **The story contains 3 chapters of 10k words each. I hope you enjoy.**

 **Song credits:** A beast am I, Amon Amarth

Mirrors, Justin Timberlake

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 _In darkness I drown_

 _Consumed by my hate_

 _A beast am I_

 _So vicious and grim_

 **Chapter 1: A beast am I**

Waiting wasn't something Elena felt she could do when something so life-changing was about to happen. She tapped her foot impatiently. "What's taking so long?" She huffed.

It wasn't her first visit and neither was it her first task. But it was going to be most important, career changing case of her life as a forensic psychiatrist and she couldn't wait to start.

Shortly after a few minutes, the door of the private office opened, there stood a very decent middle-aged man, Alaric Saltzman.

Her arms unfolded and her lips curled into a soft smile. "Good Morning, Mr. Saltzman,"

"Morning, Doctor Gilbert, I see you're early today," He said lightly yet formally.

"I have given serious consideration to the one-hour long responsibility speech that you gave me the last time I visited and decided to be more responsible from now on," She said, jokingly.

He looked at her disapprovingly. "Doctor Gilbert-,"

Elena rolled her eyes, "I know, I know, stay professional, don't joke around, the board doesn't approve of it,"

"Elena, this isn't a laughing matter, I was the one who referred you for this job, my reputation is at stake, don't screw this up," He said strictly.

She sighed a deep sigh, still unserious as he lectured her about responsibility and professionalism.

"And I want none of that nonseriousness during the meeting. The board will see you in a while. So far, they're impressed with your work and your track record with your previous patients. They see you as a brilliant doctor who'll help us solve the case. Please, don't ruin that." He almost pleaded.

"Chill, Ric. I've got this," She said as she stood up.

The office phone beeped and interrupted Alaric's rant about her casual attitude. Glaring at her, he reached for the phone and answered it, "Yes, sir, we'll be right there," He put the phone back and turned to look at her. "This is the biggest case of both of our careers, Elena."

"Ric, I have heard this for the two hundredth time this week,"

"Elena, the board is giving serious consideration to your suggestions. All jokes aside, we are this close to success. We've solved many complex cases. And I am sure we'll crack this too. You already know how much this case means to me, but tell me, are you sure about what you're doing? Are you ready to put yourself in danger twenty-four-seven because you and I both know… he's very dangerous and-,"

"You have to trust me, Ric." She replied, serious now. "I know what I am doing. I know it's dangerous. He's ruthless, cold and cruel as death. But if we don't make him fess up soon, we'll be putting countless precious lives in danger and I won't allow that," She said, determinedly.

A proud smile stretched across his face, "This is the exact reason why you're my favorite student." He sighed a deep sigh, "Come on, let's go."

..

..

"Damon J Salvatore, age 28, a contract killer by profession and a very stubborn man. Described by others as the archetype for all future mafia members, he has allegedly done fifty-two confirmed kills, including two with pens. Thirty-seven headshots. But the man leaves no proof behind. He works for the American-Italian mob, a mafia that deals in weapons, that contains everything from silenced pistols to high-powered rocket launchers." Elena paused, switching to the second slide.

"No one knows where he came from, his whereabouts, his family. But he was famous in his world from early teenage. FBI traces his records way back from his days in the street gang known as Bronx. Even then he was considered a hothead known to kidnap other mobsters and hold them for ransom to make some extra money," She said, playing with her pencil.

"He was caught a month ago by the bureau, Don Vincent had been tirelessly searching for him ever since then and I know they're planning to break him out soon," Alaric interrupted. "And even if they don't, they'll have him killed. We need to transfer him to somewhere Don and his gang can never reach him. And for that, Doctor Gilbert and I have a suggestion,"

"Doctor Gilbert, are you aware of Salvatore's history, do you even know how dangerous he is?" The President of the meeting addressed Elena. "Can you tell us about progress up till now? We've been informed that he's responding to you."

"I'm coming to that," Elena said, holding her hand up, "You've all read the report of the FBI monitored meetings that I had with Mr. Salvatore, he didn't say a single word in the first two meetings, however, on my much insistence, we had a very brief conversation, a week ago in our third official meeting, the very conversation that helped me figure out my conclusions regarding his record and my techniques that can help us reach Don Vincent Peirce through him and eventually the godfather."

"Doctor Gilbert, we appreciate your efforts but your… techniques, I don't think we can allow that. You know he's ruthless, he's a known killer, how do you expect us to allow you to give him a temporary bail and allow him to stay with you, the very suggestion is too silly to consider," Officer Shane commented as he studied a file. "He could escape, he could kill you-,"

"He won't," Elena said, "He only kills for money and self-protection,"

"He's a psychopath, he can do anything," The president hissed.

"Not according to my study," Elena said, confidently. "Mr. Whitmore, I've been observing him for months." Elena stood up and picked up a remote controller, she turned to multi-media and put on footage of her patient. "We all know that Damon keeps to himself. He's a born loner. He doesn't trust anyone but himself." She fast-forwarded through footage, "See, how he sits for hours alone and stares at a spot,"

She stopped at a particular point of the video, "This is the only irregular behavior I see in his everyday pattern,"

Everyone turned to the screen, suddenly very interested. The man in the footage is sleeping soundly until a roach crawls up his back, his eyes snapped open, he flinches at the sight of the revolting insect and kills it with his bare hand, a look of pure rage on his face. He then picks it up, stares at it for an uncomfortably long time and throws it in the bin.

"I don't understand," The blonde officer, Lexi Previn said, "What the hell is this?"

Elena rewinds the footage and plays it again, "Do you see the look of pure fear on his face for a moment when he feels the roach crawling on him, the anger in his eyes and the revenge he took from the poor creature for creeping up his back, it wasn't because of his fear of insects, no, he kills it without a second thought, the fear on his face is because he wasn't expecting it, he was caught off guard. Do you see the lack of trust in his eyes, that's what I'm talking about."

"I don't understand how that will help in our case. Mr. Saltzman, I trust your judgment when you said that Miss Gilbert could help, and I admit her services to FBI, she has helped solve many cases but perhaps this isn't a case she can help us with. I personally opt for force, torture it out of him, transfer him to area 24 under high security and as for Doctor, you-,"

Mr. Lockwood, the Mayor was about to dismiss her when she interrupted, "Mr. Lockwood, Damon is suffering from Empathy Deficit Disorder and Depersonalization Disorder, he has no remorse for what he did or what he'll do if he gets released. He's void of all emotions and humanity. Torture would get you nowhere. He's not afraid of death, he's faced it too many times. He isn't afraid of pain. Your officers did try your way of making him confess, but he didn't break and he won't break now either,"

"Then I guess we have no other way then to run a quick trial and put him on the electric chair. The sooner the scum is off the earth, the better,"

"You do that and you'll never know Don Peirce's location. He will never open his mouth. And the longer you keep him here, the higher the risk of him breaking out of here or being killed by his own gang." Elena countered. "You're putting the whole town at risk,"

"There is no other alternative," He replied.

"There is," Elena said, folding her arms. "I'll make him confess,"

"Silly girl, this isn't a movie, you can't just-,"

"The only way to break him and force him to confess is to earn his trust and make him feel,"

"Feel what?" Alaric inquired.

"Anything. It could be pain, remorse, fear, empathy, love-," Elena shrugged.

An idea came to Alaric's mind and he knew it would work.

"He's a murderer, he can't love," Lexi countered.

"We're not working on that. We need his trust. He'd never had a friend or anyone. He'd been alone all his life. We need him to put his trust in someone else for once, we need to give him a chance to live a normal life, we need to show him colors of life, beauty of nature, and error of his ways," Alaric said, "I'm assuming that he never had a shot to normal life with normal people. He'd been in the underworld all his life so he doesn't have any idea of the beauty of the world, we need to give him a glimpse of a normal life, friends and a family. We'll tempt him. He's very loyal to Don but he'll break."

The other officials including Elena seemed a bit hesitant at his words.

"We need to make him feel," Alaric said more to himself than her. "I say we give Elena a chance and give him temporary bail on the pretense that he needs to be treated in a much more friendly environment."

"But, he's very unstable, Mr. Saltzman," Lexi said, "What if he… what he harms her?"

"We're only showing him that we're letting him out, he'll be monitored by FBI twenty-four-seven," Alaric promised.

"Well, this can be considered, after all, we don't have any proof of the felony, we can't keep him in custody for long, we'd been illegally keeping him already for three months, if the word got out, we could get into serious trouble and even if we hide him here, there is a chance he would escape. We need him to track the Godfather," The president said, scribbling on the file. "Doctor Gilbert, do you think you can do this?"

Elena looked up, a bit uncomfortable with the idea now but she nodded. If their team managed to capture Don Peirce, she would be a national hero. Even if it meant that she'll have to deceive her patient. But deceiving a criminal wasn't exactly a crime, was it?

..

..

They were sitting in the F.I.C room around the circular steel table that was bolted to the floor in the middle. The room was dimly lit, the only source of light coming from a single dim light bulb high above. The walls were built of dark granite, and there was no air flowing in or out of the room.

Elena studied him, quietly. As usual, his eyes were downcast, lost in another world. Despite the obvious distress of the situation, he seemed awfully relaxed.

Damon leaned back in his chair and attempted to cross his arms over his chest. His cuffed hand prevented this, so he rested his right arm on his lap and placed his left one the table.

"How are you doing?" She attempted to start the conversation.

He didn't look up; neither did he answer. He never looked at her. She'd noticed that.

"I'll take this as you're doing good." She commented with a chuckle but he didn't reply neither did he reacted in any sort of way.

"Did you do the exercise I told you to do?" She asked.

His lack of response didn't bother her. She knew he was a difficult patient.

"I see that they've given you a separate cell now. Your physician deemed you healthy, so you're eating properly. You've also been working out, good job, keep yourself busy," She said while she took notes, scribbling on her notebook. "Yikes, you've had a fight with one of the prisoner, just in the morning," She read from her file. "Now, what have I said about fighting, Damon."

"It wasn't my fault," He finally said.

"You beat him ruthlessly because you said that he lied,"

"He reeked when I asked him did he shower, he lied and said that he did. I don't like liars and I don't like dirt." He answered as if his actions were justified and she realized he really did believe he was serving justice.

She rolled her eyes, "Damon, this kind of behavior is exactly why you're here, they don't have any proof against you now but the more you behave like this, the more they'll make you stay here," She said, shaking her head in disapproval.

He placed both of his hands on the table, interlocking his fingers.

"Anyway, I wanted to talk about our last conversation. Well, it wasn't much of a conversation, since you never actually talked much," She said with a sigh, "But by somewhat little conversation that we had and FBI investigation, the board has come to the conclusion that they have the wrong man, you haven't killed Lorenzo Johns and Don Zach. Congratulation, you're a free man now." She said, smiling warmly.

At that moment, Damon met Elena gaze with unblinking ice blue eyes filled with surprise

"I've convinced them that you're just a patient suffering from mental illness, which brings me to the second big aim of this meeting, the board is concerned with your abnormal behavior and believes that you have the tendency to harm people. You'll be released on the condition that you agree to go through government-organized therapy session and medical examination, you'll be assigned to a professional psychiatrist, who will observe you around the clock, you'll be released free of charge only after your doctor deems you normal," Elena said fast as she placed a file in front of him.

"And if I refuse?" He said, after a while.

She sighed a deep sigh, "Look, Damon," His features were hard and cold, his eyes penetrating and knowing with a penetration that disconcerted and repelled whoever encountered their gaze. But she wasn't any girl, she was Elena Gilbert and she had encountered numerous terrifying criminals, he didn't scare her.

"As your doctor, I recommend you to go through this session. I don't know what happened to you in past but don't let that cloud your future." She reached her hand to his hand, touching him lightly. He flinched, pulling his hand back as if burned by her touch.

"I'm giving you a chance to rebuild yourself, rebuild your life. If you want a good life, be good. Your actions are a reflection of you. Live well. Live this life to your fullest. You have only one chance to live. Remember, this is a onetime only offer. You're only on this beautiful planet once. Make it count." She spoke, softly, standing up. He looked at her confused, his lips forming a thin line.

"I'll be waiting for your answer," She said as she left.

..

..

The next time she visited him, he refused her help, bluntly. He told her, he didn't want to go at all.

"But, why?" She asked, surprised.

"Because I don't want to go out," His voice harsh but calm.

"Damon, I'm trying to help you, they think you're associated with the mafia, I'm trying to prove that you're ill and you need help. They're giving a chance to-,"

He rolled his eyes, almost as if bored and raised his hand, a gesture for her to stop. "One, I'm not associated with mafia, I'm a freelancer, I work for myself and two, I don't need help of a…,"

"A what?" Elena spat, her eyes hard, challenging.

"A woman," He said carelessly.

Elena's eyes widened, her face hardened and her jaw clenched but she remained calm. "Why do you want to stay here?"

He remained quiet as if he hadn't heard her.

"Damon, everything you say would stay between us. Doctor's code. I told you that on our first meeting." She insisted.

"Then what are these cameras for?" He said, looking around. "Can't fool me, doctor."

Elena pushed a button, under the table. "Doctor Gilbert to Officer Saltzman, please turn off the cameras."

"Copy, doctor," Alaric replied before the red lights on the cameras on the corners of the room, dimmed.

"Here," Elena said. "The doors are bolted, the cameras are closed and," She turned off her receiver off. "Now, the conversation between us is completely private,"

He bit the inside of his cheek. "You know if I want I can kill you now," His eyes remained fixed on a spot on table, "The spot on your neck, next to your birthmark, all I need to do is tilt it a bit and you're dead,"

"Do it," Elena challenged. "I'll like to see you try,"

He took a deep breath, not looking at her all, but she could see he was impressed.

"I'm not afraid of you,"

"That's because I haven't scared you off yet," A light smirk played on his lips, as he looked up, his eyes gleaming dangerously. "I don't know what you're trying to achieve but I would suggest you to stay away from me and my work," He hissed. "I don't want to go out and I don't want to be labeled a mental." His voice was barely above the whisper that made the hair stand up on the back of her neck. "And if you interfered than I will break out of jail, stalk you down the end of earth and kill you,"

She wanted to run, get away, or maybe stay there staring at him, something about the way he looked at her scared her but then again, she had to remain calm, she was trained as such. She couldn't give him a weak impression of herself. She stood there, hands folded, matching his glare.

Someone knocked on the door. "Your time is up,"

..

..

"Are you sure about this?" Dr. Meredith asked her again. "You say he has aggression issues; he isn't mentally stable then I don't see how Ric managed to get his temporary bail papers."

"It's for the mission," Elena said as she signed a file and closed. "We need him to reach Don Peirce and the godfather, he's our only clue."

"You say he doesn't want to go, maybe he's on an agenda here to kill someone," Meredith commented, helping her pick files. "He did attack prisoner number 29 just this morning,"

"No, Prisoner number 29 has nothing to do with this case," Elena said, "He must have sat on Damon's bed or something. He's… he's also a very big clean freak."

"Another sign of OCD," Dr. Meredith noted. "Are you sure you're taking him home?"

Elena nodded, lost in a thought, "I know it's dangerous but… I know how to control him. Also, Ric has installed cameras in every corner of my house except my bedroom, Officer Liam and Tyler would be in the neighborhood. I won't be alone,"

Meredith nodded.

While they discussed the case, they walked down to the reception and asked for her patient. The Receptionist informed her that Damon was in Enhanced Interrogation Unit. Her eyes narrowed. She knew the kind of things that happened to prisoners in that unit. Prisoners were subjected brutal systemic torture. Methods included beating, binding in contorted stress positions, subjection to extreme heat or cold, sleep deprivation to the point of hallucination, deprivation of food, drink, and withholding medical care for wounds. It was a prisoner's hell.

She had strictly opted against it when the officers held a meeting on how to make Damon fess up his crimes and force him to help them locate the Godfather. Apparently, her suggestions held no value. She walked down the hall fast and entered the room without permission.

She could see him through the one-way window. He was hung upside-down by chains attached to cuffs around his ankles and beaten with plastic pipes to obtain a confession about some nonexistent plot. But there wasn't a hint of pain on his face as if he couldn't feel or maybe he has felt so much, he welcomed it like a friend.

"Talk. Talk now or you don't have any idea of what I've stored for you next," One of the officers hissed.

"Let me guess, waterboarding. Been there done that," Damon replied as if bored.

Slap. Slap.

"You gotta let me go someday, you have no proof. No case," Damon said confidently.

Punch.

"They'll come for me, you know, and when they do, you'd be fearing for your life,"

"Not before I kill you," The officer spat and before they could continue their torture. "Stop," Elena demanded.

"Doctor Gilbert, you… what are you doing here? You're not allowed here. Please leave immediately," The officer said, bewildered by her presence.

"I have been sent by Officer Saltzman, I have Mr. Salvatore's bail papers. Under the agreement that we had, he's allotted a temporary bail. And if you have any more questions please refer to Mr. Saltzman, and for goodness sake, release him, let him down." She said quickly, as she handed him the papers.

The officer looked at her disbelievingly before going through the papers. His eyes narrowed as he read. Then he finally ordered the other officers to comply to her orders.

..

..

She looked back and found him standing by the door of her house, looking around as if he was in another world.

"Come inside," She gestured him, trying her best to smile warmly. "This is my house. I had a roommate but she moved in with her boyfriend so it's just-," He ignored her small talk as he walked past her. She made sure to scrub the house clean, knowing his condition. The fact was finally sinking in. She was all alone with a psychopath. Now, that was scary.

He picked up tissue paper and cleaned the tiny spot on the glass table in the dining.

"Huh, I guess I missed that," Elena said, lightly. Or at least she pretended too. "That's my brother's room but he isn't here anymore, you could stay there, but it has a small bed, speaking of which I was thinking we could go shopping, I didn't know your size so I couldn't buy you clothes, apparently, 'this big' isn't a size," She chuckled at her own joke but when he didn't join her, she stopped. "And that's the tv, but I don't watch-,"

"Do you always talk this much?" He hissed almost making her jump. "Hush, now," He said, putting his finger to her lips.

She nodded, almost too quickly.

..

..

She explained to him that she had convinced the board that he was a patient in dire need of a treatment. However, they believed that his life was in danger and that he had to live in this small town, Mystic Falls, for a while. She told him that it was a good chance to start a new life.

Since she had promised him a normal life, so despite his harsh glares and threats, she insisted that they go out to eat. She told him that she didn't know how to cook and despite his obvious reasoning that he was fine with eating boiled vegetables, she stood her ground on taking him out to eat.

As they left the house, she signaled, Officer Tyler and Liam to follow them, making sure Damon didn't notice.

"Andros makes the best pizza here, we were schoolmates but then his mother died and his grades dropped and he dropped out. But he didn't give up." She chatted knowing that he was ignoring her rant, while they waited for their food.

"I know," He said, surprising her. He hardly indulged in conversation with her, so for her, it was a success.

"How so?"

"I have a profile here," He said, quietly. It was obvious that he didn't want to share much.

"Aha," she nodded, skeptically.

A little later, their food was served.

While he munched on the chicken salad sandwich, she couldn't help but notice his features for the first time in broad daylight. He was badly in need of a shave, hair unkempt, almost wild looking, but even with his horrible attitude and look, she had to admit that he was handsome as sin. Taller and well-built, his looks took her breath away. His blue eyes were so piercing, so enchanting, and so beautiful.

"Damon, not that I have any problem, but you badly need a visit to a hairdresser, also… you're in dire need of a shave," She commented. She closed her eyes in fear of his response. But neither did he threaten her nor did he hissed.

"Why?" He asked, not taking his eyes off his food.

"You'll look good,"

"Why do I have to look good? Are you casting me in a movie?" His response made her chuckle.

"When is the last time you looked in the mirror?" She inquired and he didn't answer. Not because he didn't deem it important but because he couldn't remember. He touched his cheek and felt the overgrown hair.

She clicked on her phone, opening the front camera and showed him his refection. He couldn't recognize the man in front of him. All he could see was a shell of a man, staring back. He looked like a zombie. No wonder she called him the walking dead, whatever that meant.

"Now, keep in mind, you're a man who hates uncleanliness," She added, in case she pushed his buttons far enough to no return. She wanted to reason with him.

He glared at her, while his eyes switched from the mobile screen to her. She offered a hesitant smile, putting her phone back, folding her arms. "Cheque, please,"

The server walked to them, looked at Damon and then took the food trays back.

"Hello, cheque?"

"On the house," He replied quickly as he left.

"Why…" Then her eyes drifted to Damon, arms folded and biting his cheek he was looking out of the window. "This is disgusting,"

"What?" He inquired confused.

"Why isn't he taking money from us?" She asked.

"I told you, I have a reputation here,"

"I'm paying for my food," She hissed as she stood up.

He held her wrist, his eyes hard. "Sit back,"

"No," She shook off his hold on her arm, walking to the counter. She took out her wallet, paid their bill and walked back to him. Damon felt challenged. Even though he knew he had scared the living daylights out of her, she stood her ground and did what she believed in. Now that was new.

"Let's go," She said, a strict look on her face. And even though he never took orders from anyone, he surrendered to her and followed her.

..

..

As she parked the car in the garage, he held her wrist. She looked at him, shocked. A little while ago, she felt courageous enough to go against his orders but now that they were alone, she felt a bit scared.

"I thought you said I could trust you," He said quietly.

"Yeah…," She said, feeling her breath get uneven.

"Then why do those idiots keep following us everywhere," He said, playing with a strand of her hair, his eyes gleaming with fury. She knew he was referring to Liam and Tyler.

"I… they're for security protocol."

"Don't lie," He hissed.

"Officer Saltzman feels that-,"

"I'm unstable, I can kill you within a second in one of my anger rampages," He completed, smirking.

She nodded, taking a deep breath. "But you won't,"

"How can you say that so confidently?" He said, a soft smile playing on his lips but that smile was deceiving. She knew he was furious. His eyes were filled with nothing but rage.

"I would be dead by now if you wanted to kill me," She breathed.

"Yet,"

She closed her eyes, pushing back her tears.

"I'll make you a deal, you shoo them away and tell me where all the cameras, and have them disabled first thing in the morning, I promise to never harm you and I promise that I won't escape," He whispered, running his fingers through her locks.

"You won't escape and you won't hurt me,"

"You have my word.

She bit her lip and thought for a second before she nodded.

"Good girl, now let's go inside, act normal," He said.

She duly complied.

As they went inside, he followed her to bedroom.

"This is my room," She said, hesitantly. "You're sleeping there," She pointed.

"Hmm. No cameras here, huh," He whispered and she nodded, taking a deep breath. "If I murder you, no one would know,"

She felt her breath get stuck.

"Breathe, Elena." He said with a playful smirk. "Goodnight,"

..

..

When she informed Alaric about Damon's demands, Alaric refused to comply, he thought it was too much of a risk but they'd no choice but to do so because they had straight orders from the headquarter to do anything in order to get the Godfather's whereabouts.

Elena had already agreed to the mission she had no other option either.

So, they did what Damon demanded. But they didn't leave her unguarded. They gave her a genius watch, so she would be able to stay in contact with her team at all time and inform them in case of emergency. All she had to do was, press a button and a well-equipped team of officers would rescue her.

Officer Lexi had allotted total fifteen weeks to her for the mission. It was the maximum time she could dodge the mafia from reaching Damon.

The first week had already passed with no apparent progress. After fifteen weeks if Elena couldn't make Damon confess his crimes and persuade him to help them locate the godfather, they would have no choice but give Damon a clean chit and a permanent bail.

Like the mission stated, she had to win his trust and pretend to be his friend. But as the days passed by, she realized how lonely her patient actually was. He always kept to himself, never talking, never smiling. She would literally find him staring at a point for hours, lost in another world.

Other than working out, he didn't have much interest in the worldly pleasures. He didn't watch tv neither did he had any interest in reading books. He didn't like to go out and enjoy the company of other people either. He was a living dead, no life, no feelings, no relations, no goals or dreams. His eyes were so empty, they scared her.

Finally, she decided to do something about it. She tried to indulge him in conversations with her, she tried to talk about anything she considered would interest him, she paid attention to the smallest details about him and took care of him.

Just a couple of days ago, he had hurt himself while working out. Despite his protests that he was fine, she tended to his wound softly. He didn't thank her; neither did he show any gratitude.

Yesterday, she slaved two hours on making lunch for him. She told him about it while she served. "I have never cooked for anyone before, so I'm kinda nervous," she chatted as usual.

He didn't react at all and as usual, ignored her blabbering.

At night, she literally forced him to go out with her for a movie. At first, he was very reluctant but when she told him that if he needed a clean chit, he needed her signature on his health certificate and she would only do it when she's sure he showed normal human behavior, he didn't have any choice. He grunted and rolled his eyes throughout the movie, showing her his obvious displeasure.

The next morning, after breakfast, she suggested again that he should shave. Surprisingly, he didn't deny.

"Will you… will you do it for me?" This was the first time she had seen him hesitant. He always ordered her around whenever he needed something.

"Of course," She replied, warmly.

Swiftly, she went to a bathroom and after a while appeared with a shaving kit.

"How the hell did you-,"

"I bought it, yesterday—just in case," She said, smiling.

Wasn't she so sure that he would submit? Damon thought as she set up her tools. She was far too clever for his own good.

He watched her in silence as she sharpened the razor on the leather strap and then made lather from the soap. She seemed to know what she was doing but still, he was cautious of trusting his neck to the clumsy doctor.

He never trusted anyone. But she was… different. He didn't know why but she seemed harmless. Despite what his heart claimed, he was still very careful around her, if Officer Saltzman trusted her enough to hand his case over to her, then obviously she was no fool.

Or maybe, she was one of those super optimists who believed they could redeem anyone with their affection and kindness. But didn't they know, it was too late for him.

She rubbed the soap over his rough beared face, her eyes focused on his. Her touch was soft, too soft. He couldn't help but close his eyes.

She began slowly and carefully, dipping the knife into the mazer filled with cool water then drawing the blade slowly over his skin.

As soon as the blade touched his face, his eyes snapped open. He suddenly seemed tense. What if she kills him now? What if that's why they've hired her, so they could kill him when he least expects it.

"You can trust me, I have done this many times for my father," She said as slowly pulled the razor down his cheek.

He didn't reply but she could sense his approval. She soaped the right side of his cheek and smiled when she got too close to his lips. Biting her lip, she picked up the towel and cleaned it. From his vantage point, he could see the soft swells of her breasts confined by a simple cotton bra. There was nothing deliberately provocative about the way she was dressed, yet he was provoked nonetheless.

He took a deep breath, looking away, trying to think of something else. He never let his desires come between his work and right now he needed her approval before he could get a permanent bail.

"Done," She said as she showed him the mirror.

It seemed like he had seen himself after ages.

"I knew there was a handsome face behind all that… hair." She commented but then her eyes widened. "Did I say that out loud? Oh dear God," She panicked. "What's wrong with me?" She face-palmed and turned to pick her things quickly. "Elena, you silly girl, can't keep your mouth shut. Why do you have to be so awkward?" She talked to herself.

He looked at her uncertainly, not knowing how to respond. No one had ever told him that. No one actually ever paid attention to him.

She kept mumbling something under breath and walked away, leaving him to battle him with alien emotions.

..

..

Sometimes she would stay awake all night, thinking about the heartless criminal sleeping in the next room. She would check the locks of her door and windows, several times but she still felt uneasy. She would keep a gun in her bedside cabinet, just in case, even though she knew that if he decided to end her life, she wouldn't be able to do anything about it.

But, surprisingly, he didn't. Mostly, he ignored her and only agreed to her whenever she threatened she wouldn't sign his medical certificate.

One morning, she woke up to the sound of a very old but beautiful song playing somewhere distant. Curious, she rose up, wore her robe and followed the music.

 _ti odio e ti amo (I hate you and I love you)_

She heard a verse as she walked down quickly to the kitchen. The gas stove was on. He was making breakfast and chopping onions quickly for his daily omelet.

She was about to tap him on his shoulder and acknowledge him of her presence when suddenly he turned around, held her by her neck and pushed her against the wall, the sharp knifing pointing on her pulse point.

She yelped in fear before she clamped her mouth shut.

He stared into the stunning chocolate brown eyes filled with desperate fear and pleading and knew he was totally lost. Her chest moved in sequence with her breath. Deep. Slow. Heavy.

Damon had never seen anything more beautiful than her eyes. He allowed his eyes to wander across her delicate features and pause to contemplate her most perfectly delectable rose-colored lips.

"What is wrong with you?" He hissed. "Don't you know better than to sneak up on my back?"

"I'm… I'm sorry," She whimpered.

"Never do that again," He warned, before he pulled away, feeling a little overwhelmed by her presence.

She kept quiet while she watched him work on the breakfast, cleaning after himself as soon as he was done. She served the breakfast on the table and bit her lip when she almost slipped, making the soup bowl fall on the floor.

He growled inwardly, shooting her a death glare before he picked up a rug and cleaned the floor till it was spotless.

They had breakfast quietly. He had warned her on the very first day that he didn't like a conversation while eating. He thought it was disgusting and disrespectful to food.

"Why so quiet today?" He asked, snapping her out of her thoughts.

"Me? You're talking to me."

"Is someone else here?" He said, rolling his eyes.

"You said you don't approve of conversation while eating," She reminded him.

"I said, I don't approve of conversation while you have food in your mouth, you've finished. You can talk now."

"Oh good. I couldn't keep quiet for much longer anyway." She said, cheerfully. She asked him how he was feeling and if he wanted to do something today. He told her that he didn't have anything on his mind. She suggested they could go shopping for him. He didn't disapprove so she knew he had no problem with that.

After all, they had a regular routine of having lunch at the Grill and walking back to home. So now, he was a bit comfortable going out of the house. He still didn't engage in conversation with anyone else other than her.

The conversation turned to his health and how the cozy homely set up affected his mind. He gave her short replies but admitted that he felt better. Much better.

Trying to keep the conversation going, she asked him about the meaning of the Italian song playing on the stereo. "What does it mean?"

"I love you," His voice was cold and his face void of emotions.

"What?" She almost spat out her juice.

"That's what the songs say." He replied, dryly, handing her a tissue to clean her chin.

Her mind raced. Her doctor mode activated. She was searching for any kind of signs of emotions on his face, any connectivity of the song to him.

"What else does it says?"

"You missed a spot." He said uncomfortably as he pointed at the corner of her lips.

"Yeah, sure," She said, cleaning the corner of her mouth, missing the spot again, "You were saying,"

He took the tissue from her hand, wiping the missing spot, "It's about a man who is very strong but is weak when it comes to the woman he loves. They break up but he's losing his mind over her. He loves her and hates her at the same time. His love isn't a fairytale, he's dangerous and he'll do anything for."

"Is that your story?" She asked, out of the blue.

"No,"

"Did someone leave you? You know you can share it with me. I promise to keep it a secret. Hell, I can even help you get her back."

"Listen, girl, don't mistake me for anyone other than what I show you. This is my real face. I don't have any story. I'm a criminal, not a lover. And its high time, you stop pretending to be Miss Righteous-Savior-Angel trying so hard to redeem a hopeless criminal. I can't be redeemed. So don't waste time."

"I would disagree. You're not hopeless. Every day is a chance if you want it to be." Her smile grew soft as she stood up.

..

..

 _Aren't you somethin' to admire_

 _'Cause your shine is somethin' like a mirror_

Elena Gilbert was an enigma. She wasn't anything like the woman he had ever met before. She paid attention to the smallest detail about him. Just a week ago, she took him out for shopping. And despite his obvious grumblings and his sour mood, she made him try numerous shirts and bought him what she thought suited him the most.

"Black really suits you, did you know that?" She said as she paid on the counter.

Afterwards, they went to the hairdresser, who clipped his hair and styled it in accord to the modern times. Elena specifically told the hairdresser to keep the length equal since Damon was very sensitive about that.

"Wow." She whistled in appreciation.

"I look ridiculous, what have you done to me?" Damon said, staring at the mirror.

"You finally look like a civil person,"

"No, I look like those ridiculous men from boybands," He said, running his fingers through his hair.

That night, they went to watch a movie. She picked up a light movie again. She told him how good the movie would be and that she was so sure he would enjoy himself.

Since she wasn't very good at keeping the suspense, she had told him the plot before the movie even started. She laughed throughout the movie and quoted the movie before the scenes would come.

"Now, he's going to fall off that chair," She said, laughing, "And now he's going to miss the bus,"

She giggled childishly and clapped when the credits rolled on the screen. "Did you enjoy it? It was fun right?"

"Yeah, sure, whatever," He said, rolling his eyes.

"Let's walk back home," She suggested.

He shrugged, not caring much.

As they walked outside of the theatre, the cold wind hit them. She shivered, getting closer to him for warmth. His body tensed. What was she doing?

"It's too cold and too dark. We should have taken a cab," she said.

"Home's not that far,"

When she felt something rush through the bushes of the park, she held his hand, gasping.

"It's a cat," He said before she could react. "Don't worry," He looked up at her, "As humorous as this sound, you're safe with me," With that, he held her hand tightly.

..

..

She quickly set up the dinner while he freshened up. When he came to the dining room, she gestured him to sit.

"Sit, I have everything ready. I hope you like it, I tried something new," As usual, she chatted while she served him. "You're cranky like a baby when you're not fed on time," She said with a chuckle and he wondered how she knew him so much.

Of all the dangers in the world, hunger was the one thing he feared. In his teens, he had once starved for four days and had almost died. He never wanted to feel that weak again.

During dinner, she stayed quiet and only commented a couple of times when she couldn't stand the silence. Afterwards, she picked up the dishes and cleaned them swiftly, despite how tired she was. "Normally, I would leave them for the morning but I know if I did, you wouldn't be able to sleep at night," She giggled as she turned on the dishwasher and cleaned the counters.

"Damon, I have to go to the hospital on Monday, I won't be able to give you full time anymore, but I'll give you a cell phone tomorrow, so you can call me when you need me," She chatted.

"Why? Why are you going?" He asked, frowning. He didn't know why but he didn't like the sound of that.

"Duty, silly."

"I'm your duty,"

"I think you'd be fine without supervision." She said as she unloaded the dishwasher. "After all, you must be sick of me. I think you'd enjoy a little alone time,"

He remained quiet for a while, nodding.

"But please do remember your promise."

"If I wanted to escape I wouldn't be here now," He replied raising a brow.

She shrugged, nodding.

After a brief pause, he broke the silence, "I don't know how to use a phone,"

"What?" She said in a surprised tone. "You're kidding me,"

"They never… I never felt the need of getting one,"

"Oh," She said, frowning. "Don't worry, I will teach you how to use."

..

..

It wasn't surprising at all for her when she found out that he was barely educated. He had dropped out in his junior year, he didn't tell her why nor did he give her any kind of explanation. She also found out that the most modern gadget that he had ever used was a pager.

She figured that maybe the Mafioso must have never allowed them. They were only allowed a pager to let them know about their next target.

He made silly mistakes while she taught him how to use a phone.

"And this is how you call," She said, clicking the phone icon. "You know, it's very surprising that you can't use phones, I mean… are you from another century or something because-,"

"Do you know how to use an F2000 Assault Rifle?" He asked, looking up from the phone to her.

"No," She said, hesitantly.

"Well, I do,"

She rose her brows but didn't react at all. This surprised him, she wasn't afraid of him anymore like she used to be. In fact, she would often laugh it off. She was more comfortable around him, now.

"What is this… youbuer?"

"It's Uber as in oober."

"There's a 'u' in the start, it's youber" He insisted.

She giggled, shaking her head. "You have your cute moments,"

He rose a brow at her comment but didn't say anything. "And this… inst…"

"Instagram." She completed. "See, It's an app to stay connected to people you love, you make an account and then you post your pictures. "

"Then what?"

"Then other people get jealous of your awesome life and the pretty things you have," She said as if it was obvious. "Just like mine," She said as she logged into her account and showed him her timeline. He narrowed his eyes, looking at a particular picture where she was sitting on a bike. "You don't have this bike,"

"I know. You know. But they don't."

"Okay, I don't need this," He said, making a face. "Remove it,"

"Fine," She said, uninstalling it. "If you want to install it again you'll have to go to istore."

"Which route?"

"God," She let out a chuckle. "It's like I'm talking to an alien," She laughed and laughed but he never joined her. "Okay, back to work,"

..

..

When he first started living with her, he was often annoyed at how much of a chatterbox she was but not anymore. Unknowingly, he had gotten used to her. He would sit by her and listen to her quietly as she talked all day long.

On weekends, she would call her friends and they would have a one-dish party and play silly games. Of course, he never joined them. And she never insisted that he take a part. But she made him stay close to her on the pretense that he needed to interact with people more to break his anti-social character. He would stay at a distance and watch her play foolish games and gossip with her friends. During lunch, she served him separately but she would stay with him and company him until he had finished. After her friends would leave, she would drag him to the family room, and after a tiring therapy session, they'd watch a movie, until she fell asleep.

The first few times, that happened, he would leave her on the couch but after the first month, he would pick her up and take her to her bedroom, tuck her in her bed and leave. And every morning when she woke up, she would thank him for being so considerate to her.

Unknowingly, he'd become fond of her smiles, her giggles, and her appreciation. She was very cheerful and oh so full of life. Her eyes shone with happiness as if sadness has never touched her. Maybe it was just him, but he felt like the world brightened more whenever she laughed.

Sometimes she was such a ditz, she would lose her stuff all over the house and then he would help her find them, especially her hair ties, which he would find often on the bathroom sink. He wondered how she had passed her degree with such bad memory.

Often, she would be running around the house in a sweatshirt and boyshorts, but whenever they had to go out, she would take out almost all the dresses in her closet and take hours to decide what she wanted to wear.

She would hum a pleasant tune while she got ready and style her long beautiful hair and he would often find himself secretly looking at her when he was sure she couldn't catch him.

"How do I look?" She twirled in her lime and emerald babydoll dress, "Too much shimmer? Should I change? Do I look like I'm trying too much?" She spoke quickly, not giving him time to answer.

"Beautiful." He replied, interrupting her. "You... you look beautiful." His gaze a mixture of admiration and desire.

Not being able to stand his intense gaze, she looked away, smiling nervously, "Thank you," She bit her lip, something she tended to do whenever she was nervous.

"You clean up pretty good yourself," She said as she inched closer. "Just a bit," She ruffled his hair, styling it. "Perfect,"

Today, she was invited to Mystic Fall's Annual Summer Festival and she insisted that he accompany her. He had refused initially but when she pleaded him, as she batted those long beautiful lashes over those big beautiful brown eyes, he couldn't find it himself to say no. He was a bad guy, a very bad guy. But there was something about her that stopped him from showing her the ruthless dark side of him.

Like usual, she didn't instruct him to behave at the party and pretend to act nice. He realized that she was trusting him more and more. She believed in him. She actually believed that he could be redeemed. She didn't see him as a mad animal that needed to be put down, she saw him as a real living human, she had hope in him that he could be healed, that he needed to be cared, he needed to be loved.

Maybe it was the therapy sessions, that he and Elena had regularly or maybe her presence and her kind words were healing his soul, but for the first time in a long while, Damon felt peace. He had to admit, life was so much better like this. No fear of getting caught, no fear of death every living second, and certainly no killing. Maybe… he could actually leave everything behind, build a new life, settle down and live a happy life like everyone else.

It was like he was finally seeing a light at the end of a dark, never-ending tunnel.

"Damon, you ready?" She beamed, popping his thought bubble.

"Yes," He whispered. "Yes, I am."

..

..

As a reward for acting like a gentleman in the festival, she had decided to take him to the forest near the outskirts of the town to show him her favorite spot. She told him that she knew he would love it. He didn't care as long as she was accompanying him. He rather liked to be around her. It made him anxious when she wasn't close. Unknowingly, she had become his drug and he was getting addicted to her more and more with every passing second.

She had put on light music as she sped the car down the road. She talked about all sort of things, telling him funny stories about her childhood, her memories of her favorite spot and her plans for their trip. She was clearly very excited.

She stopped the car where the hiking track started and parked it in a reserved spot. They picked up the luggage and made their way down the rough track. Once or twice, she almost fell but he caught her before she could hit the ground and hurt herself.

She pecked him on his cheek, a token of her appreciation. To her, the kiss might not have meant much but she had no idea that a small peck had wreaked havoc with him. Automatically, his hand reached up and touched the spot of that gentle kiss.

"My friend, Arthur, has reserved a boat for us, you said the other day that you liked fishing, so I went to the market and bought us a kit. Now, I have no idea how to fish or… how to even use these things?" She said as she played with the hook, "I'm totally depending on you,"

He pursed his lips, taking the rod from her hand, staring at it in awe. The last time he held a fishing rod was about twenty years ago… before 'they' killed his family.

"Do you like it?" She asked, nervously.

"You bought it for me?"

"Yes, I said that, didn't I?" She said, rolling her eyes.

"Thank you," He said, his eyes fixed on the fishing kit.

"Do you wanna try it?" Elena said as she unbuttoned her button-up shirt, took it off and tied it around her hips.

Damon nodded.

"Come on, then," She said as she hopped down the uneven ground to the bank. She stood by the boat, uncertainty as if asking for him to help.

Damon jumped inside and then held her hand, helping her hop in. In a while, they figured how to operate the boat and drove it to the middle of the lake.

"Now, how do we do this?" Elena said, excitedly as the opened the fishing gear.

"Well, first we match a hook to the bait," He explained as he tied the hook to the end of the line with a knot.

"Won't it slip."

"Make a strong knot," He instructed. That's how his father taught him. He remembered it like it happened yesterday.

He eagerly told her everything he knew about fishing. For the first time, Elena had seen a hint of excitement and happiness on his face, only a shadow, but it was there and she was glad she was the reason for it.

"You're not paying attention," He said, frowning. "I will not explain again, I told you, I don't repeat myself."

"I'm sorry, what was that?" Elena said, pretending to not hear him.

"I said, I don't repeat… fuck it," He said, turning around.

"Okay, okay, I'm sorry," She said, holding his arm. "Teach me," She batted her long eye-lashes, giving him that look that he couldn't resist. He stood frozen, dazzled by her eyes before looking away hurriedly as if his eyes would give away something. She made him feel things he never felt. She consumed him with her enchanting eyes. Her touch overwhelmed him.

"Now, we bait the hook," He said, turning his attention back to the fishing gear, "and tie the bobber above the line," He then extended the pole to water and lowered it until it was completely immersed.

"And now?"

"We wait." He said as if it was obvious.

"For how long?"

"Maybe hours."

"HOURS"

"Shh." He hissed. "Pro Fishing Rule number one, keep quiet or you'll scare them away."

"Okay," She nodded.

But it had barely been five minutes when she complained that she couldn't stay quiet for too long. He tried to reason her but eventually gave up.

"That's it," She said, as she stood up as she put on her swimming goggles.

"What're you doing?" He inquired.

"Jumping in there to catch the damned fishes myself." She said as she jumped into the lake.

His eyes widened in surprise and then panicked when she didn't emerge out. "Elena! Elena!" When she didn't respond. He took his shirt off, put on the goggles and jumped in the water. He swam down the water with swift, noiseless strokes, anxious to get as far as possible to search for her. When he felt his head feel heavy because of the lack of oxygen, he swam back up. As soon as he went up, he found her in the boat, soaked up, smiling mischievously.

"Hi, there!" She waved.

"You're so dead when I get up there,"

"Oh, I'm scared," She said, not afraid of his threat at all.

"I'll get you for this," He said but before he could climb up, she jumped back in the water. "Catch me if you can,"

"You silly girl," He hissed as he chased after her.

Elena kept going under water and popping up surprising Damon. They began swimming around close together. She giggled and splashed him. An amused smirk played on his face as he grabbed her by the back, demanding her to apologize or he would punish her.

They went underwater for a very brief time. He followed her down to the bottom, admiring every curve of her body through his goggles. Beams of light illuminated their path as they swam. A nine-foot-long arapaima fish crossed their path. It stopped and looked at them for a moment then swam away.

When he knew she had enough fun, he demanded they go back to the boat. With a deep sigh, she agreed. They went back to the boat and dried themselves with towels.

Afterwards, they talked about a lot of things. As usual, she talked about herself and slowly, very slowly, turned the conversation to him.

Damon answered her questions about himself, admitting to her that he felt more relaxed and secure now. Little by little, she tried to make him talk about his past. She did it very carefully. She didn't want to set him off. She knew he was attached to her but he was still a killer and killer couldn't be anyone's best friend.

He answered very briefly. "My parents… they died in an accident."

"What about that song? The song you play every morning. Was there a woman in your life?" She asked, slowly caressing his hand to keep him calm, a tactic she used to keep her patients calm. He looked up at her, biting his lower lip, quiet. "Did she leave you because… because of your association with the mafia? Doesn't she know that it's not proven felony, that there is a chance to prove you innocent."

When he never replied, she took that as yes.

"Is that why you're so cold? Is that why you don't believe in love? In redemption?" She said, cupping a side of his face, looking at him, warmly, her gaze a mixture of kindness and sympathy. "Don't think that you're hopeless. Every day is a new hope. Every day is a chance to get redemption. Look around you, the world is too beautiful. Do you really want to live in your world filled with nothing but hatred? Or do you want to leave it all behind… this choice had always been there. All you have to do is… take a leap. Build yourself again. A new you. A better you."

He looked around, uncertainty as if thinking about her words.

"I can help you get her back." She said, sighing. "We'll tell her that you don't belong to Mafioso and that the allegations are false. You were falsely accused. In a way, we aren't lying because FBI doesn't have any proof against-,"

"I do belong from Mafioso. Augustine is our Godfather. I work for Cosa Nostra." He admitted to her bluntly.

Her eyes widened in shock as her mouth gaped open comically, like a fish out of water gasping for one more breath of life.

"I joined them as a contract killer when I was seventeen and ever since then I have been working for them. I have committed seventy-two murders, over two hundred kidnappings and lead thirty-seven drug deals. I'm Augustine's right hand. Your details about me weren't just allegations, Elena. They're facts. True verified fact."

Every word he said twisted Elena's guts, filled her head with ghastly images. For a moment she felt nauseous and disgusted. Fear gripped her heart for what was to come. Was he about to kill her? Is that why he was telling her about himself?

Slowly, she reached for her watch, "Why… why are you telling me this?"

"Isn't that what we're here for? Nature Therapy? We're supposed to talk, no?" He questioned, reaching for a strand of her hair, curling it with his finger. "Your watch isn't going to work. The water corrupted its system. Besides, you don't need to call them, I promised I won't harm you, didn't I? I don't break my promises," He said as if reading her mind.

"You knew about the…,"

"The pretty little watch that officer Saltzman gifted just after the day I had the cameras disabled. Elena, I've been on FBI watch list for ages but they still haven't managed to get a single proof against me. They don't call me ghost-faced killer for nothing. Do you really think of me as so naïve?" I wasn't born yesterday." He said, playing with her fingers. His gaze slowly moved up to her face, locking eyes with her, "This is… this is my reality, Elena. I'm a contract killer, criminal and a Mafioso. Do you still think I can be redeemed?"

She looked at him, hesitantly.

"Because I want to live the dream you showed me. I want to leave my world behind. I want to live here forever. I want to get a job, settle down, I want to live my life without a fear. I want a family like you have. I want friends. I want to watch movies and laugh freely like you do. I want to love. I want to live." He didn't remember the last time he had talked so much. "I want this life. But do I deserve it? Can this become my reality?" He asked her, and for the first time, she witnessed a hint of fear and vulnerability in his eyes. As if she would say no and all his dreams would shatter. As if, if she refused he would have no option but to live in darkness forever.

At that moment, she felt sympathy for him. He was asking her for a chance to redeem, he was requesting her to let him live his own life. For the first time, he was willing to live. He didn't want to die, not knowing how it felt to love and be loved.

She nodded. "As long as your alive, there is hope, there's a chance to redeem. Like… like I said before, the choice has always been yours."

He took a deep breath, looking up at the sky and then to her. His mouth curved, transforming his darkly handsome face into something impossibly beautiful. She suddenly wondered if he knew how devastating his smile was. He had to know.

Before she could say anything, he pulled her into his arms, into his warm embrace. Shocked, she didn't react for the first few seconds but then she finally hugged him back, burying her face in his neck.

Damon had lost hope when situation forced him to commit his first sin, his first murder. After that, he thought he couldn't be redeemed so why even try? But today, he had a reason. He had to become a better person for Elena. He had to leave his world behind to build a life with her. He needed to redeem himself to make himself worthy of her. Little did he know, redemption is possible but every sin has a penalty, redemption has a price.

..

..

"Where are you going?" He asked her when he saw her ready and about to go outside.

"Work," She said, smiling warmly as she tied the straps of her heels.

"When would you be back?" He asked, already eager for her return.

She let out a giggle, telling him she'll be back in a couple of hours. She couldn't help but notice a grim look on his face, every time she left.

He'd been acting very weird lately. He followed her around the house and sat close to her. He would look for excuses to touch her or stay close to her. She often found him, looking at her whenever he pretended to read a book. But whenever she would catch him, he would look away, flustered as if he was a child caught stealing from a cookie jar.

He made lame excuses to come into her room and talk to her for no apparent reason at all.

Happy that she was finally making progress with Damon and was getting close to him, day by day, she never realized he was getting addicted to her attention, he misjudged her care for her love.

Admittingly, it wasn't his fault. He'd never been loved, so he was bound to get attached to the first person who showed him the slightest affection. He had fallen desperately in love with the beautiful girlish psychiatrist, so much that his love bordered worship.

Caroline, a fellow doctor and Elena's friend was the first one to notice. She had come to visit Elena and witnessed Damon's reaction when Elena accidentally burned her hand while cooking and he'd panicked as if he was hurting, as if he felt her pain. He immediately tended to her burns, while murmuring comforting words.

"He's changed a lot." Elena said, proudly. "You know, in the beginning, he would hardly respond to me, but over time, we've grown so close… he's so soft with me, he's such a great fri-,"

"You know he is in love with you, right?" Caroline interrupted.

"What?"

"Don't pretend like you don't see it."

"I'm sorry? What the fuck?" Elena said, surprised.

"Didn't you see the way he reacted when you hurt yourself, he couldn't breathe. It was like he could feel your pain. And the way, he looks at you…,"

"Care, stop," Elena said, rolling her eyes. "Damon… he cares… It's not what you think. He'd never had friends. I'm his only friend, so he cares about me more than… normal. That's it. He's not in love with me or something. That's ridiculous. He's my patient." Elena explained.

"Your blind, Elena," Caroline said, getting up. "Look, as a friend, I suggest you get rid of him. I understand… often mentally disturbed patients find comfort in their therapists and psychiatrists because they think we understand their problems and we accept them unlike the rest of the society. They mistake our empathy for love." She whispered, making sure Damon wasn't close by.

"Because in the end, that's what they really want. And they'll do anything to get it. Get rid of him before he becomes a problem for you," With that said, she left, leaving Elena to ponder on her words.

For a while, she thought about it but then deemed Caroline's deduction as garbage. It's impossible. Damon Salvatore cannot fall in love with her. They can never be together ever.

She knew it was wrong to even consider that idea. But the heart wants what it wants and it wanted him.

..

..

They were watching a movie. Elena's laid back leaning on the arm of the couch, her legs in Damon's lap. Now and then, he would place his hands on her feet and slowly caress them. From the corner of her eye, she noticed him looking at her and then looking away abruptly when she turned to him and rose her brow, questioning his gaze.

Caroline's words rang in her ears and she wondered if Caroline was right all along.

Lost in her thoughts, she never knew when she nearly fell asleep.

She felt someone pick her off the couch and carry her to the room. She knew it was Damon, she could smell his sweet fragrance.

He tucked her in the bed and wrapped a comforter around her. She felt him slightly caress her face, a light smile playing on his lips. Then he inched closer, sinking to his knees. He played with a strand of her hair, tucking it behind her ear, his fingers slowly stroking her cheek and then her lips. Then slowly and very quietly, he drew closer and closer until she could feel his breath mingling with hers.

His lips pressed against hers, then gently covered her mouth in sweet tenderness. His lips were so soft and so achingly sweet. She never wanted him to stop. But he pulled away, stroking her cheek and whispered his love confession. "Sweet Dreams, my love."

Was it a dream or reality? All she knew was she never wanted it to end.

..

..

I hope you're interested in the plot and I really hope you like the chapter. The next two installments would be posted after I see the response to this chapter.

Marry Me Instead and The Devil Obsession will be updated soon.

Do review. I'll be waiting for your thoughts.


	2. Somebody to love

_Dear Readers!_

 _Thank you for such beautiful response on the first installment. DE fandom, you're amazing! Here's the second installment. I hope everyone enjoys it like the first one._

 _Love,_

 _May_

 **WARNING: Graphic violence and sex scenes.**

Song Credit: Best of 2011, Anthem Lights. (Just The Way You Are / For The First Time / Someone Like You / Superbass / Jealousy")

* * *

 **Chapter 2: Somebody to love**

Elena walked around the warmly lit patio, steaming, bubbling and surrounded by tropical plants and flowers that spilled over into the water. She had just spent her evening in the spa, ignoring the calls from Damon and work. She had too much on her mind to deal with them.

Fifteen weeks ago, when she bailed Damon out for the mission, she had never thought there would come a day when she would be caught between her duty and her heart.

 _Week 6_

"Did you kiss me last night?" She wanted to ask him but she couldn't. She was confused. Was it even real? Had she dreamt all that?

 _Her eyes, her eyes_

 _Make the stars look like they're not shinin'_

 _Her hair, her hair_

 _Falls perfectly_

Strands of her soft hair fell on her face while she kneaded the dough. She tried to swipe it aside, out of her eyes but as she did, some of the flour got stuck on her face. In an attempt to clean it, she tried to rub it but instead spread it more.

She heard him chuckle. He was leaning against the corner, eyes amused, a very light shadow of a smile playing on her lips.

She ignored him, working on the dough.

"The book says we have to put eggs now," He reminded her.

"No, we don't. We put it after we mix in cinnamon and apples." She commented.

"But the book,"

"Who is the chef here, Damon? It's me. I do the cooking here." She said sharply, turning to him.

"You're not a chef, you only started cooking when I came here, and God knows how hard it was for my stomach to put up with your not so good cooking skills." He replied, standing next to her.

"Not so good?" She rose a brow.

"I'm sorry. I used the wrong adjective. What I meant to say was, that you have terrible cooking skills." His expressions were serious but she knew he was joking only to get a rise out of her.

Her mouth fell open before she clamped it shut. "You're such an ungrateful jerk, do you know how hard it is to cook? I come home after a long day from work to cook for you, I've been watching food networks, I have been slaving two hours on this apple pie that you told me was your favorite but you-," She kept on ranting for a while as she worked.

He appreciated that a lot, the way she would pick the smallest points from their therapy session and would give him a small part of the paradise he dreamt about, once upon a time.

She turned to the boiler, turning off the knob, while she talked non-stop about all sort of things. As she talked, she gave him one of her breathtaking smiles that made his heart race and his knees go weak. To him, whenever she smiled, it was like the whole world lit up. He yearned to touch her, to take in some of the light she shone into the world.

Unknowingly, he reached for face and swiped her hair to a side, tucking it behind her hair. She looked at him, inquiringly.

"If you're done with my hair, Mr. OCD, can you move to a side, I need the oven." She said gesturing him to move to a side.

"You're gonna touch the pie… with these hands." He said, making a face.

"Excuse me,"

"I mean you just… you haven't cleaned them after you-,"

"Oh my God. Damon, for the sake of everything that's holy, will you let me do my work without interrupting me every ten seconds, Mr. Control Freak?" She squeaked.

"I'm very easy going as long as you're doing exactly what I want!" He countered.

"I'm sorry, I didn't order a glass of your opinion." She replied.

"Well, too bad, you're taking it anyway." He replied, folding his arms on his chest.

"How incredibly rude of you! I mean, I slave all day-,"

"Two hours," He interrupted.

"Whatever, I work for hours to make yummy stuff for you-,"

"Yummy?" He gave a sarcastic chuckle. "Prison food was better. You make me miss prison."

She narrowed her eyes, pouting before turning away. She turned to the tap and washed her hands, mumbling something under breath.

"What?" He said, standing in front of her, blocking her way.

"I'm not talking to you," She said, childishly. "You're very mean." She added as she advanced to the oven. Like children, they fought over the smallest things but they made up just as quick.

He rolled his eyes, "Stop overreacting, you know I was just kidding,"

"You don't appreciate me, you think my food is trash, my efforts are trash," She said in a sad tone, with a dramatic sigh. He always enjoyed her antics. Sometimes she would act so mature, and sometimes she would act so childish. He loved every side of her.

While she put the pie in the oven, she waited for him to come to her and make up for the 'mean comments' like he always did. Somehow, he could never stand it when she was upset with him.

"I never said that your cooking is trash," He said, standing in front of her. She moved past him, not answering.

"That's what you actually meant when you said that you miss the prison cook."

"I rather eat your undercooked chicken parmesan than a five-star main course," He said, holding her arm. "Not because I have no other alternative," He said quickly before she could speak, "but because anything you cook for me, exclusively, is... you don't understand how much it…," It was always hard for him to express his feelings. He had just started to feel. Every emotion seemed overwhelming.

He took a deep breath, looking at anything but her, "I don't remember the last time someone cared for me the way you do. I don't remember the last time anyone had asked me what I wanted. I don't remember the last time someone did something for me. I don't know why you're… struggling so much with a broken man. I don't understand why would you work so hard to make me happy because I have nothing to give you back." She could see the insecurities flash on his face, the look of a broken scared man underneath the tough guy act.

"All I know is that… I finally feel alive. I like it when you cook just for me. I like it when we watch movies together long into the nights, when you shop for me, when you arrange picnics for us, I like it when you remember my likes and my dislikes, when you take care of me, it makes me feel special. And no one has ever made me feel like that." He said, running his hand through his hair nervously.

She inched closer, cupping both his cheeks. He looked up, finally locking eyes with her, his eyes glittered with vulnerability. "Get used to it." She said softly as if she was telling him a secret. She was about to move away, when he held her wrists, holding her still. She read the yearning on his face. It was clear as daylight that he wanted her. He was going to kiss her.

He was her patient. This wasn't appropriate in every way. But she couldn't find it in herself to stop him. She realized that she didn't want to stop him, she felt something for him, something other than sympathy, something raw and strong, a strange pull, a mad attraction… a feeling so overwhelming that it shook her.

Just then the oven beeped, snapping them out of their moment.

"My pie," She said with a nervous grin as she moved past him nervously but as she did, her arm touched the flour bowl and fell down with a loud crash, spilling its contents everywhere.

She closed her eyes, waiting for him to hiss at her being so careless, but instead she heard him laugh. Her eyes widened. She had caught smiling a couple of times but this was the first time she had witnessed his laughter.

"You're a havoc machine, do you know that?" He said, moving closer to her. "Look how much flour you are wearing," He teased.

She dipped her hand in the flour and flicked it at him. "Elena!"

"We are even," She said with a giggle.

His expressions were grim, telling her that he didn't like her joke. Her laughter died, noticing his serious face. She remembered that he'd beaten a prisoner up for sitting on his bed, what if he hurt her too? She couldn't even blame him for that because she knew about his mental condition and yet she tiptoed over that line. Before she could apologize, he grabbed her about the waist and pulled her close, his breath hot on her face. He reached into the flour bag, pulled out a handful and threw it on her. "Now, we're even."

..

..

Week 8

Sometimes, the therapy backfired. Sometimes when she tried to get him to talk about his past, he would turn cold on her, brush her away, or find excuses to leave.

She would then find him in the corner of his room, biting on his nails. He didn't understand why they had to talk about his past if she really wanted him to move on. Shouldn't he just forget it and turn the page over that bad chapter of his life. But one evening, he finally opened up.

Elena was busy with her work while he was making them dinner, his usual healthy meal, when he noticed her pressing her hand against her neck, over and over again, as if it ached.

"I think you should call it a night."

She smiled, her eyes still on the screen, "A little sore shoulder never killed anybody, I am fine. I have to study these reports for Care's meeting tomorrow."

 _Elena Gilbert, always the martyr._ He shook his head before turning the stove off and grabbed some herbal oil, "I can help."

She looked at him as if she was impressed, "Someone's considerate today."

He shrugged as he sat behind her softly swiping her long soft hair to a side, "Don't worry, I am not the neck snapping type."

She sighed, why did he have to say that. His references to his occupation bothered her.

Slowly, he slid down a side of her shirt, her olive tan soft skin just begging to be kissed.

She smelled of peaches, and her skin was soft as petals. She groaned in pain when he pressed his fingers against a spot. Her pain was his pain. When she hurt, he felt it. He never wanted to see the look of pain on her face again.

Sometimes he felt so overprotective of her. He just wanted to hide her away, so no one would ever harm her because he was so afraid of losing her. He'd witnessed cruelty, he had seen how horrible the world could turn out to be. He'd done terrible things. Things that would make her skin crawl. She wasn't made for a world like that.

The touch of his fingertips was a very pleasant sensation. She lifted her chin. He massaged her shoulders and the sides of her neck, which were very tense. She wriggled behind her back for the laces of her bodice and pulled them loose, draping the dress top loosely over her shoulders.

"God, your hands are magic,"

He pushed into pressure points skillfully, and she couldn't help but release a soft moan at the resulting ache and then release. "You lead quite an intense life. It wouldn't kill you to take a break,"

"Hmm." She said, "God, it feels so good. Can you stay here and do this forever?" She moaned, closing her eyes in content.

A light smile played on his lips at her request. 'That's the plan.' He thought. Once he'd been given a clean chit, he would end the alliance of godfather and leave his world behind for good. But he was still uncertain about his decision. Was he being rational? Could he really have a shot at a new happy life?

"Work is so tiring these days. Dad had been asking me to spend this Thanksgiving with him. But I can't possibly take a leave, especially when work is piling up. It's a good thing he understands my reasons. He understands that I have to stay away from the Fam to get what I want." She was always so talkative but he enjoyed her endlessly long stories.

He pursed his lips, "What exactly do you want?"

She sighed dramatically, turning to him. She held his hand and motioned him to sit next to her. " What do I want? I want to be the most accurate and highly preferred psychiatrist the world has ever known, then I will set up a trust fund for a hospital, where I'll treat hopeless cases, and give them an attempt to new, a happier, life. Then after that, I'll buy a little house in the countryside, where I'd go on weekends with my family."

He tilted his head to get a better look at her eyes that shone with life, "family?"

She nodded. "Yes, me, the love of my life and our two kids, a dog too maybe or a cat, I don't care I just want a family. My mom died when I was only six. But I have a memory of her. A month ago, before she died, my dad bought her, her dream house. It's a cozy little farmhouse, out of the town, near a lake. I fell in love with the sight when I first saw it. In evenings, we would all go out, sit by the lake to watch the sunset. My dad would sit with mom on the swing on the porch and Jer and I would play near the lake." She said, lost in a world, years and years ago.

"My father loved my mother so much, that after she died he could never move on. We've never gone back to that farmhouse. But someday I want to go there," She paused, "With the love of my life and our two little ones. I want to sit on that swing with him and watch the sunset. That's… that's what I want."

The way she talked about the lakeside made it seem like it was a magical place. If only he could give her what she wanted. If only he could share that dream with her. He realized he never wanted something more than be a part of her life. He reached his hand to her, slowly caressing the backside of it. "I hope you get to live it." He said with a smile, a smile that wasn't smug or evil, not sarcastic just plain sweet, at that moment she thought he was really beautiful, ocean blue eyes of the color of the lake she loved, sweet face, a battered soul.

She cupped a side of his face in her completely non-psychiatrist moment, "Tell me your most favorite memory." The depth of her eyes hypnotized him. He felt she could see right through him and into his soul. "I… I don't remember, I have never had time to think,"

She moved closer. To understand the havoc that went through his mind, she needed a better look at his past. To make him feel, she needed to remind him how it felt to be human. "Well think now." She shrugged.

He bit on his nails, something he did whenever he was nervous. She held his hand down, motioning her head in a no. He nodded, clenching and unclenching his fists. "Mama was reading me a storybook by the fireplace, we were very happy, father was home, he was making us dinner, I was seven then, I guess." She swore she saw some life in his eyes, they glistened and took on a faraway look.

"It sounds peaceful. Only child?" she sounded interested.

"And spoilt." He said as if he was still living the memory. Though she didn't know him and his past, she knew something bad had happened to him, something that snatched his humanity and made him the cruel man he was a couple of months ago, "I am sorry, you lost them. "

His expressions changed, he was taken by slight surprise, no one had ever read him like that, no one could, no one wanted to. No one knew his parents, no one ever talked about them, no one was sorry that they were not with him now.

"No one has ever said that to me ever. No one cared before,"

"I do,"

"Why?"

"Because I know what you're."

He narrowed his eyes, "What?"

"A human. You may have shut down your humanity but I know it's still there. Deep down, you feel when you do wrong to others, when you hurt others. They're heavy, aren't they? They weigh you down, and every new sin adds weight to the load. You use anger like a drug to change how you feel. And when you can't find a way to cope with the guilt you shut it down completely," She said softly.

"I did everything to survive. I had no other way," He replied. She could sense remorse in his tone.

"But look where it led you. You're all alone. Is that how you plan to live your life forever?" His face was plain, void of all emotions, he loved her but he still didn't want to go weak. She got closer, more close, "You can build a wall around you just like you did but it's going to get lonely, you need to let someone in, if you don't want to be alone forever."

"I know you don't. No one would want a life like that. You've been improving. You have stopped threatening people. You aren't perfect—nobody is. You still get angry once in a while. After all, you're human! But you have stopped doing the things you used to do. You have learned how to manage your anger and you have started to feel. Remorse is the first step to redemption. Your guilt will build you into a better person. A second chance at life-,"

"Remorse…," he chuckled, humorlessly. "If I tell you the things that I did… to survive, there is no room for a second chance. I… I am a beast, an animal, worse than an animal. I don't deserve a chance. The only price for my sins is death,"

"And that's where you're wrong." She said, shaking her head. "Death is just an easy way out. For a change, try to live. Make up for your sins by becoming a better person. Contribute to the good of the world. I told you before and I'll tell you again, there's hope as long as there's life." She placed her hand on his heart, "As long as your heart beats, you have a chance, an option." She was subtly hinting him to help the FBI reach the godfather and she knew he understood. She waited for him to talk but when he didn't, she sighed a heavy sigh. She wasn't going to give up.

"I'll give you time to think it over," she said.

Leaning close, she kissed his cheek lightly. "Goodnight."

..

..

 _Week 10_

 _Girl, you got my heartbeat runnin' away_

 _Beating like a drum and it's coming your way_

 _Can't you hear that boom, badoom, boom, boom, badoom,_

 _Boom, bass_

"Okay, this is so silly, Elena. We're not children anymore." He said as he reached for her hand. She had blindfolded him and then led him to a room.

"What kind of weird kink is this?" He said, "Are you we recreating any scene from that favorite movie of yours. Gray fifty shades?"

"How vile of you! Of course not," She said, her tone filled with shock. "And it's fifty shades of gray,"

"My favorite movie so far,"

"Yeah, I know, you've mentioned that a hundred times since last night," She rolled her eyes, "Come here," She said. "Now, take off the blindfold when I say so," She said as she pulled her hand out of his grasp and tip-toed to stand in front of the dining table.

"Now."

He took it off hurriedly, curious.

The table was a sight to behold. She had prepared a cake that was a work of art. Tiny pink and blue flowers decorated the outer edges of the white frosting. 'Happy Birthday' was written in flourishing script across the top of the cake.

"It's not my birthday." He said, looking up.

"Yeah, I know. I remember you said a week ago that you didn't know your birthday at all. That gave us benefit out doubt. Now, we can pick any day to celebrate your birthday," She said, cheerfully. "I thought and thought, and decided why not celebrate it today. We have the cake, we have booze and...," She stopped, turning to the stereo, "Music,"

He chuckled, running his fingers through his hair.

"Are these thirty-two candles? I'm not that old." He complained. "I demand you remove five of them,"

"Or what?"

"Or I refuse to cut the cake,"

"Okay, okay," She said as she plucked out a few candles and put them to a side.

"You didn't make the cake right?" He said in a mock horror expression.

"You're so mean to me," She pouted. "And yes, I did make the cake but I took help from a friend."

She sat down and lighted a match, applying its flame to the bottom of the candle. In the flickering candlelight, her skin gleamed like pearls. He wanted to get his hands on her. He'd been obsessing over her. He was madly in love but he never told her that.

He wanted her around all the time. He didn't know why but whenever she was around him, he had the will to live. She always lights up his dark world, she gave him hope. She offered him affection and care, something he had always secretly wanted.

It came to the point that whenever she left for work, he counted minutes before she would be back. They spent nights in the family room, talking long into the night or watch a movie, while she cuddled next to him. They were getting closer, with every passing day. The defined boundaries between them were disappearing with each passing second.

He sat on the chair, right in front of her, they were separated by the table and the cake between them.

"Now make a wish and blow the candles out."

"You want me to make a wish?" He said in an amused tone.

"It's tradition, Damon!" She said, pouting.

"Okay, I'll make a wish." He said as he closed his eyes. He wished for her. He wished that someday, she'll be his forever and that they'll be together forever. He wished for a forever with her. He wished for a happily ever after.

Through the faint light of the flickering candles, she gazed at him. He looked so young, so shy, so innocent, so vulnerable. She couldn't help but feel protective of him. Just yesterday, Alaric has warned her that time allotted to the mission was drawing closer to end and she still hasn't convinced him to help and confess his sins.

She didn't know why but she didn't want to. She knew that as soon as he confessed, they would take him away forever. They'll never keep their part of the bargain. She had to find a way to save him. She had to make sure that her officials offer him a chance to a new life in exchange for his help. Was it selfish? Maybe. But she didn't want to see him back in the dark cells or end up on the electirc chair.

He opened his eyes, her smiling face and her sparkling beautiful eyes made his heart skip a beat.

"What did you wish for?" She asked, curiously.

"You,"

"What?" She inquired.

"I can't tell you,"

"Why not?"

"Surely you know that a wish can't come true if you tell someone."

She laughed. "I thought only children believed in that."

Now he looked at her with nearly the same intensity that he had looked at the candles. "I suppose there is still a child living within me."

She nodded with a chuckle.

They cut the first piece together. He fed the first piece to her.

"You've got a little..." his voice trailed off as he reached out and wiped the icing away with the pad of his thumb and sucked it clean.

She felt her breath get caught at the gesture. Nervously, she scooped a bit of the frosting from the sides with her finger. "Is this fluffy enough?" Instead of slipping the frosting off, he took hold of her wrist and lifted her hand to his lips. Opening his mouth, he wrapped his tongue around the offering and drew the frosting as well as her finger inside the warmth of his mouth.

Under his gaze, her eyes deepened and her breathing increased. Then as quickly as it began, he pulled her free from his lips.

Feeling jumpy like never before, she rambled on about whatever came to her mind and he listened to her very patiently, all his attention focused on her words, her every gesture.

Later, she put on music and demanded him to dance with her. He told her that he had no idea how to.

She held his arm and tugged him to the center of the room. She made him put his one hand on her waist and inched closer, his other hand clasped in hers, their fingers intervened. With a confident smile, she began to nudge him this way and that. She led him in the high spirited reel; before he knew it, his feet were moving along in the steps. In moments, he was laughing along with her, the clumsiness gone.

"You're a good dancer."

By the third dance, they were much closer. He could tell she was relaxing and by the fifth dance, they were molded. She felt the pressure of his hand on her back. She laid her head on his shoulder, closed her eyes and began holding him tight behind his neck. Later, his hand would move up to her shoulder then down to her waist, holding her in a tight embrace. He allowed her to move away, in a dance move and then she leaned back in his arms, willfully, unrestrainedly surrendering herself to him.

She didn't remember who started the kiss. All she remembered was how good it felt when she attached her mouth to his, her lips heated, her tongue probing. The wet fire between her legs was agony. His arms tightened around her. She tasted a mixture of honey and spearmint. He didn't court her with sweet, tender kisses; he devastated her with his hunger. He groaned as he devoured her mouth like a starving man. He was starved, for her! His soul found a resting place within her. Oh, how he loved her. He trembled as he drank from her lips. He was never going to lose her.

Then she felt the ground give way beneath her feet. He took her to his room and placed her on the bed.

He undressed her carefully as if he were unwrapping a gift, looking upon her as if seeing her for the first time, kissing every part of her skin as it was revealed to him in the dim light. Tender kisses that soothed, becoming knowing kisses that roused. He wanted every part of her, as he wanted her to have every part of him.

He kissed every inch of her face—her eyebrows and her nose, her cheeks and the corner of her mouth—with a thorough desperation as if he could not get enough of her taste. She kissed him back, loving the taste of bourbon in his mouth, savoring the texture of his skin.

She flipped them over, he felt her lips move down his throat to his chest. She traced patterns on his chest with her tongue. Her hands slowed near his pelvic bones, and she seemed to squeeze him gently as he felt her soft full lips kissing his body. She sensuously kissed his thighs, his stomach, all the while teasing him. She rose after about a minute, leaving him ravenous with lust now.

He flipped her on her back, covering her body with his. His eyes met hers, asking for her permission to make her his. She nodded, eagerly.

He entered her with excruciating slowness until their bodies were one; then, together, they began to move—still slowly, reveling in each sweet sensation. She closed her eyes, savoring the feeling.

"No. Keep your eyes open. I want to see your beautiful eyes the entire time," He demanded.

She nodded with a moan, trying to comply but the pleasure was too much.

He mewled and protested when she closed her eyes again, she giggled and gave in to his request.

He shifted once more and plunged inside her, burying himself to the hilt. Her back arched again, her muscles clenching around his swollen cock, teasing, massaging, coaxing. He eased out of her, slowly, then plunged forward again. Again, faster. Elena blindly grabbed for him, her hands closing over his shoulders and holding tight. He plunged into her over and over.

She flipped him to his back, straddled him, then lowered herself on his hard length, throwing back her head and body in wild abandon as she ran her hands over his chest. He was thick and hard and made her whole again.

"Baby, you're… you're so fucking beautiful." He grunted.

She rode him to her heart's content until she quivered, crying out his name as the sheer bliss of being with him carried her through the storm. Damon met her explosive climax with a grinding of his hips and triggered his own release, the two of them floating to the stars together.

She fell atop of him, tired. He held her tightly against his chest and they fell asleep in each other arms.

..

..

 _Week 12_

This was wrong on so many levels. She was sleeping with her patient. She could get fired for this. Her license would be canceled and her future destroyed. But she couldn't stop herself the minute he gazed into her eyes.

But their 'relationship' helped in his treatment because now he'd opened himself completely to her. He told her the most vulnerable details about himself before he joined the Mafioso. One night, tangled in each other arms, he told her about his family.

He told her that he had a perfect family. He was the only child. They were happy. But then one day his uncle showed up out of nowhere and requested his father to help him hide away from some very dangerous people. They offered him to stay at their house. At night, some strange men broke into their house and demanded his parents to tell them about Zach's whereabouts. When his father refused, they shot him and his mother.

He had witnessed the scene from the closet where his mother had hidden him before the armed men broke in.

She asked him about what happened next but he told her that was a story for another day. Since she didn't want to overwhelm him so she left it at that and didn't insist for more.

They haven't defined what they were but in a way, they were together. Every evening when she returned home, he prepared dinner for them. They would eat together, joke around, laugh, play, make love. Finally, he wasn't the reserved and quiet man anymore.

After years, he was happy, living the life he has always dreamt of. And he wanted to live this life forever. He had planned it all, he would get a clean chit, leave his world behind, get a job and ask her out properly. He would marry her, have children with her and live a happily ever after with her.

"Damon," she said, pulling his attention from the TV to her.

He looked at her, inquiringly. He still didn't speak much, he was never talkative, but he liked to listen to her talk all day long. "A friend of mine is moving into the neighborhood tomorrow. Will you mind helping us set up stuff?"

This was a test. She wanted to see if he was comfortable enough to interact with other people?

He bit his lip, thinking for a moment before he nodded.

She smiled, warmly. The treatment was working. She was finally breaking his shell. She was steps away from success.

..

..

 _Jealousy_

 _It's plain to see_

 _I love you so much_

 _It's killin' me, baby_

When she showed him affection to win his trust and to show him how it felt to live a normal life and how it felt to be loved, she never thought her technique would backfire on her. He was addicted to her and she realized it when it was too late.

Admitting, she was attracted to him just as much, she felt a pull to him like she never felt to anyone. She wanted to protect him from the harms of the world and maybe that's why she wasn't too eager for the mission statement anymore. She had requested Alaric for a bargain with higher officials. She wanted their statement that they would give him permeant bail once he decides to help.

Alaric told her that it was impossible and that she shouldn't be sympathetic to a murderer. She should focus on the mission rather than work on silly ideas.

"He wasn't normal back then but he's improving now." Elena said, "I have been examining him. He's more open to people. He'd overcome his social barriers. He's safe to be around. I don't remember the last time he threatened me, in fact, he's so sweet to me, he's always helping around the house and-,"

"Looks like you've charmed him more than we wanted you too,"

"Ric, that's bullshit." Elena hissed. "I have promised him a new life and I'll give him that,"

"He's a murderer,"

"He was." Elena said, "He's changed now. He feels remorse for what he did. He wants redemption,"

"Then why hasn't he agreed to help us find the godfather yet,"

"I am working on that. Don't worry, he'll agree. He'll do anything for me," Elena bit her tongue at the slip. Alaric rose his brows. "Elena… no, he's mental. I don't want him too attached to you. You know how patients get when the doctors are too friendly. I don't want him to fall in love with you or something. He's already unstable. An emotion as strong as love will make him even more difficult than he already is,"

"Ric, loving someone isn't a crime,"

"No, Elena, I suggest you stay away from him now. Don't fuck with his mind. Focus on the mission."

Elena shook her head, she argued with Ric."But he's improving. Ric, he's a normal man now, trust me. He deserves a chance to a normal life," She insisted over and over again until Alaric finally submitted and told her that he'll think about it. Although he still thought that a broken man like Damon could never actually be fixed. He was a criminal and he would stay a criminal forever.

Elena, however, held her ground and took his case to the higher authorities. She had a strong case in a sense because she insisted that he had committed crimes when he was mentally unstable because of some horrid accidents in his past and now that he was stable he shouldn't be punished for the crimes that he did when he was ill.

But fate took a twist and she found herself lost. Caroline and Ric were right all along. He was never truly stable. He'd only improved because he yearned for her affection and love, the affection that she gave him whenever he showed the slightest progress.

She realized that when her best friend from college moved into the neighborhood. She and Damon were on the couch, his head was in her lap, while she ran her fingers through his hair, he was sleeping while she read a book. The knock on the door startled them.

He moved to the pillow from her lap, while she got up and rushed to the door. His ears picked up the sound of giggles and an over-excited male voice.

She stepped into the living room with a blonde, green-eyed, handsome man.

"Who's that? I think I have seen him somewhere," The man whispered in her ear as they drew closer.

"That's my… patient," She said, a tidbit nervous. "Damon,"

"Patient, at home?" The blonde man rose a brow.

"Let it go, Stef,"

"Letting go,"

"Damon, this is Stefan, my best friend and my crime partner, we've known each other since school," She talked so sweetly about him, it burned him from within. He didn't know what was wrong with him. But he didn't like Stefan at all.

He didn't greet Stefan. His eyes were as cold and emotionless as they were when she had met him the first time in prison.

"Damon promised to help us set up your stuff," Elena tried to fill the awkward silence.

"Oh. Good. But before that, do you have anything to eat because I'm super hungry."

"Damon is actually making a pie for me,"

"Yums. I'm in. Later, we're going to the mall anyway." Stefan said.

Damon bit his cheek as he watched Stefan take off his shoes and throw them in a corner.

Elena's eyes widened, she hurried to pick them up and put them in the shoe corner. "You're such a pig, Stef. Why can't you be less of caveman?"

His eyes narrowed, then he shrugged. "You love me anyway, besides, don't you have a thing for sweaty dirty guys,"

Elena gasped.

"College days," Stefan murmured as he ruffled her hair. "Stop!" She swat his arm away but he laughed and continued messing her hair.

In his head, Damon had killed Stefan the second he touched the girl Damon loved. He couldn't explain the anger he felt. It was maddening. Was this what people called 'jealousy'? Was he jealous that Elena wasn't giving him her full attention and affection?

The oven beeped, giving him an excuse to leave the room and think about the mad rage that was eating his heart from within. What was happening?

He opened the oven and took out the dish without wearing a glove.

"Fuck, he burned his hand," Stefan said, turning Elena's attention to him.

Her eyes widened, she rushed to him. "Oh my God, Damon! What the hell?"

She studied his burn. The blisters looked pretty bad.

There was a genuine pained expression on her face, she looked up at him, "Does it hurt?" She didn't wait for him to answer, "Stef, get the first aid box, it's in the left cabinet of my bedroom." She ordered.

"Okay, baby." He said, turning to her to comply to her order.

"Why is he calling you that?" Damon asked her. She was busy looking at his hand so she never paid attention to his grim expressions while he inquired.

"Out of habit? Tell me does it hurt?"

"No, it doesn't."

"The burns look really bad," She said, slowly touching the blistered skin.

Just then Stefan returned with the first aid box, "Here you go, baby," She grabbed the tube away from him, twisted it open, and began smoothing ointment over the burn. "You're going to be fine." She murmured as she slowly applied it.

"Hmm. Someone is a little too anxious, no?" Stefan joked. She knew he was talking about her worrying over Damon's injury.

"Stef, he's hurt,"

"So am I. I mean I never got such care from my doct-,"

"Stef, stop." She rolled her eyes, annoyed, "Is it okay now?" She turned her attention back to Damon.

He nodded, "it's fine."

Her eyes locked with his, for the first time sensing a hint of coldness in his voice. That was strange, he was behaving differently than he did when he was with her alone. What happened?

"Well, at least, pie." Stefan interrupted their moment.

..

..

She noticed that Damon didn't participate in conversations at all. He'd taken a corner of the house and kept to himself. She didn't understand why. When she invited Stefan, she thought Damon would get along with him fairly well, because Stefan was a really pleasant guy. But like a spoiled child, he didn't even bother to answer Stefan when Stefan addressed him, directly.

Elena asked him to join them in the kitchen but Damon refused bluntly and sat alone in the family room. "You still don't know how to cook, fatty, do you?" Stefan teased her.

"I do. And FYI, Damon says I make the best pasta." She said proudly.

"You've probably killed his taste buds,"

She gave him a mock glare.

"Now, behold, watch me make the best spaghetti ever," He said as he unfolded the packet.

While he worked, Elena pinched his cheek.

"Baby, don't." Stefan warned, but she laughed it off

She pulled at his cheek again.

"Okay, that's it," He placed the packet to a side. Elena squeaked in mock fear and ran. He chased after her. She ran to Damon, hiding behind him. "Save me,"

Stefan stood in front of them, arms folded. "You're not getting away with this, fatty."

"But my knight will save me, won't you?" She looked at him with such intensity, Damon couldn't help but nod. He gave Stefan a glare as if challenging him to step closer.

"Haha, okay. I'm only letting you go because I can't tackle this big guy," Stefan retreated, giving her a mock glare.

..

..

Damon hated every second of Stefan's presence. To him, Stefan was a threat, trying to take away the one person he loved more than anything in the world. Up till now, he'd clearly showed Elena with his behavior that he didn't approve of Stefan's presence.

She didn't understand his reasons. She had examined him in past months and he'd fairly improved. She had almost deemed him safe to be around public, but now she realized that her conclusions were wrong. He wasn't ready at all. He was still dangerously unstable, hanging barely by a thread. He'd promised her that he was going to mend his ways, as long as she was with him. She realized that she was the only reason why he wanted to leave his world behind, attain redemption and start a new life.

After helping Stefan up with his house, Stefan suggested they watch a movie. Damon wasn't in the mood but when she insisted, he couldn't refuse. The alternative was to sit alone in the house and wait for her return. He didn't want that. So he accepted Stefan's offer.

Stefan picked a horror movie despite Elena's protest. Damon told him too that Elena couldn't watch a horror movie and that it gave her nightmares.

"She's always been very dramatic. She'll be fine." Stefan said as he put on the movie.

Elena found herself sandwiched between both men, sitting on the couch.

Damon didn't approve of it. He didn't understand why Stefan was forcing Elena to do something that she clearly didn't want. She shouldn't watch things like that. She was too pure for it. Even the slight raise of music or a surprise 'Boom' would make her whimper, shout and hold his or Stefan's hand.

Stefan didn't comfort her, instead, he scared her more. He would scare her more by pinching her off-guard or shouting 'Boos' in her ear when she least expected it. Each time she whimpered in fear, it reminded Damon of his victims, the way they would whimper in fear and beg him for their lives before he ended their lives.

His mind clouded with pictures of Elena begging for her life or whimpering in fear. He flinched, just at the thought.

"Boo." Stefan scared her again.

"Don't!" she yelped.

Damon had never wanted to kill someone so ruthlessly like he did now. Unknowingly Stefan was waking the monster that he was, the monster in him that enjoyed the kill.

A horrifying scene came on the screen. She closed her eyes in fear.

Watching her fear filled face, Damon tugged her to him, "Come here," He wrapped his arms around her, as she buried her face in his chest.

The ghost in the movie plunged a knife into the chest of its victim. Damon's eyes fell on the whimpering girl in his arms. She was hiding her face in his jacket, mumbling incoherent words. Would she react the same if he told her that he'd done it several times to his victims too? Would she be scared of him too? Did she remember that she was snuggling with a contract killer, a murderer with no emotions and remorse at all until he met her.

"Fatty, that's cheating. You promised you'll watch the movie," Stefan tried to pull her away from his hold, insisting she watches the movie.

But before he could pull her away, Damon held his arm, mouthing 'Stop.'

Stefan frowned but nodded.

..

..

"Elena and I dated for three years back in college. We broke up because she wanted to stay here and I had to move to the other part of the country," Stefan told him while they were setting up his home cinema. "But now I'm back and I plan to ask her out," He added.

Damon knew it. He knew something was up. He had never appreciated Stefan and Elena's friendship. Though he'd never told that to Elena upfront, he had shown her his discomfort in every way.

"So, if you've having nasty thoughts about my girl-,"

"Stefan J Williams, Age 27, hometown Texas. Your parents still live there, don't they? In that small cottage near the museum?"

"How the fuck… how on earth do you-," He stopped and his eyes widened as a memory flashed before him, "I remember you now, you're… you're that contract killer. They talked about you in news… you're… him."

"I don't want you here, Stefan, I suggest you leave now, if you know what's good for you and your family." He said it casually but Stefan felt his skin crawl

"Or I'll stalk you down kill you and everyone you've ever met."

..

..

 _Week 14_

Once Stefan left, Damon acted normal again. Like nothing has ever happened. But the irregular pattern in his behavior bothered her. And the fact that, Stefan has just disappeared with no explanation whatsoever bothered her too.

Then one day, Caroline called her. She asked her to come to her house immediately.

"It's Care," She said, trying to free herself from his arms but he held her close to his chest. "She says it's emergency."

"Fashion emergency again," He murmured in sleep.

"Probably,"

"I'll only let you go, if you make out with me," He said with a playful smirk. He leaned closer, covering her mouth with his. The instant their lips met, her insides fluttered. She slipped an arm around his waist while she pressed her lips against his. With a moan, she met his tongue with hers. They made out for what seemed like hours, before she finally pushed him off her, giggling and went to shower.

..

..

"You're living with a murderer, are you insane?" Caroline growled. Stefan was sitting by her, arms folded on his chest.

"Care,"

"I don't care if it's a mission," Caroline hissed. "He is unstable and he needs to be put down. You need to report that to Ric this instant."

"He's… he's trying to improve. He's struggling very much. We have hour-long sessions and I have seen him-,"

"He threatened to kill Stefan," Caroline didn't let her finish.

Elena explained that he wasn't very comfortable around people yet. He only threatened people but, he was harmless. He wouldn't hurt anyone.

"Look, I understand your sympathy for him." Caroline said, "You have spent time with him, you have a better understanding of him but he's a murderer. The crimes that he did won't go away just because he decided he'll mend his ways and to be honest, I don't think he's stable to be around normal people. He's still ill and frankly speaking you're making it much worst. You have gotten him addicted to you. First, he killed for money, and now he'll kill for your love."

"Care, that's ridiculous,"

"He still needs intense therapy and he needs to be locked up, away from everyone and you. Especially you."

"No. I won't allow that." Elena said, getting up, "He deserves to live his life just like everyone else. And he's stable now. I assure you of that."

"Really?" Caroline questioned. "Then tell him, the board is thinking to move him from your house to somewhere else. Tell him your session with him will end next week. Let's see how you react."

"He'll be fine,"

"No, he won't. You'll see that you've made him emotionally dependent on you. You've made him more dangerous than he was,"

..

..

He was working in the kitchen, quietly working on their dinner, cleaning after himself as soon as he was finished.

"Damon, come'ere," She said, smiling, gesturing him to come closer. He did as she asked.

"I have a news for you," she said taking a deep breath.

"Good or bad."

"Umm, both,"

"Aha,"

"The board has decided that our session will end this week. They'll be moving you to the headquarters for a three-month session with another doctor and then after your examination, you'll be a free man,"

"Three months," His heart sank.

"Yes,"

"And… what about you? Where will you be?"

"I'll be assigned my next case, naturally."

"Case? I'm just a case to you," He hissed.

"Damon?" She said, surprised by his reaction.

"And the moments that we had? Every touch, every kiss, was that all a part of therapy?"

"No. Of course, not." She replied, worriedly. "Every moment we shared means more to me than anything in the world." She confessed.

Her words warmed his heart. He sighed a sigh of relief. He wasn't just her patient. He meant something to her. But what?

"We will meet after I'm free?"

"Maybe,"

"Maybe?" He questioned, eyes narrowed.

"Damon, you know about my job." She said, nervously, "It depends on…,"

Now, that he thought about it, he didn't think he was okay with her job either. She could really get hurt with the kind of lunatics that lived in the place she worked.

"I'm not going." He bluntly refused.

"What?"

"I'm staying with you. We'll be together. Forever,"

"Forever?" She questioned. "But… I don't think that's possible. The FBI-,"

"I'll not let anyone come between us, Elena." His eyes gleamed dangerously when he said that.

"Is that what you told to Stefan too?" She inquired.

"Why? Did he say something? Because if he did-,"

"I know what happened between you two, Damon. How could you? After all I did,"

"Elena, let me tell you a story." He said, with a sigh, as if he was talking to a child, he made her sit down and calmed her, holding her hands, playing with her fingers, "Before I worked for Augustine, I worked for Antonio, The Godfather of Mala del Brenta. I was his most trusted man. One time, we kidnapped a governor and demanded his family for ransom. Naturally, they did as told. While we collected the sum, I noticed an old family heirloom, my mother's ring. I requested Antonio to give it to me, he told me that I should know my place. You know what I did to him, I killed him in cold blood. I plunged my blade into him, ten times."

He saw the color drain from her face, "No one knows that, except you. The gang thought he was killed by the police." He paused, "Now, I'm sure Stefan is smart. He wouldn't make the mistake Antonio did."

"And if he doesn't?"

"Then I'll kill him." He said with such coldness that a shiver ran down her spine.

She hissed, pushing him away, "Everyone is right. I can never fix you. You're a monster."

"Elena," His eyes widened, a look of despair crossed his face.

"No, stay away from me,"

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that."

"Yes, you shouldn't." She growled.

"I don't know why I said it. I just… I can't bear the thought of you with him or you with anyone. But I'm sorry, I will never say that again. I promise I won't hurt anyone." He pleaded, inching closer to her.

This time she allowed him.

"I love you Elena, I can't live without you. Please don't ever leave me." He added, cupping her face.

"You… you love me?"

"Why is it so surprising that I fell in love with you? You are made to love," He said, caressing her face with the pad of his thumb. "And, I know you don't like it when I talk like I did just now, but I promise to behave. I promise to keep myself in control. Just… be with me, forever."

..

..

She had never realized that how dangerous he could be. He was always soft with her though, he never harmed or threatened her ever. But now she knew he wasn't stable. His behavior was calm as long as she stayed close to him. Caroline was right. He killed for money before but now he'll kill for her. And she knew it wasn't right.

Yet, she couldn't find it in herself to give up on him. If her love was what kept him sane than she'll give it to him. She had also fallen for him. Their love was messy, complicated but it was real. She had decided that she'll fix him, she'll heal his battered soul, no matter how long it takes.

She had reported to Alaric today that he was okay now. He was mentally healthy. She never told him that he had confessed to her about his crimes. She was afraid that they will take him away if she did.

Alaric asked if he agreed to help find the Godfather but Elena shook her head. Just then Damon called again.

"Work on it, Elena. We need his help. We don't have time anymore."

"I will. I promise that by tomorrow this time he'll be willing to help. But in exchange I want-," She said.

"I know. The board has conditions but they've agreed."

"Really?" Elena asked, surprised.

"Yes,"There was something off about Alaric's tone.

They talked for a bit more about the contract and then she hung up. She felt heaviness in her chest, as if a stone was lodged in it. She started the car and drove home. Something was not right. She could feel it.

He greeted her at the door with a kiss and welcomed her inside, a thousand questions on his lips. Why was she late? Why didn't she answer his calls? Why did she look upset?

She told him, she was fine. They snuggled on the couch for a while and made out. Then he suggested they go out for dinner since he'd prepared for dinner tonight. He'd been too busy worrying about why she hadn't answered his calls.

She nodded in agreement, lost in another world. Today, she had decided she'll tell him the truth about the nature of the mission and how she had fallen in love with him over time. Then she'll ask him to help track down the godfather. Because that was the only way they could be together forever.

She decided she'll tell him everything after dinner.

They drove to their favorite diner. Surprisingly today, it wasn't full at all. He ordered the usual.

He played with her fingers as they waited for their food. She was lost in her thoughts while he looked out the window. A slight smile curved his lips when he noticed a small family outside the neighboring diner. The mom was holding the daughter, paying the bill while the dad chased after the two-year-old son who'd suddenly decided to run after the ice-cream truck.

"Look," He turned Elena's attention to them. She snapped out of her thoughts, looking at where he pointed and then smiled.

"Kids," She shook her head.

"Devil spawns," He commented with a chuckle. He noticed she wasn't talkative much today, which was quite unusual. She was so talkative, so full of life, that it was unnatural of her to not talk.

He tried to get her talking, asking about any of her childhood stories. He knew she loved to tell. Most of them were fake, he figured, but as long as she talked he enjoyed her lies. "Let's leave the past to past," She said, not in a mood to talk.

"Well, then, let's talk about our future," He said, intervening her fingers with his.

"What about it?"

"Where do you see yourself in five years?" He inquired.

"Easy. With you," She answered, not taking a moment to think.

He smiled, his eyes downcast, and then looked up, "A little details."

"We'll discuss that… later,"

"Why not now?"

She didn't reply.

"I thought you wanted the whole deal. A wedding. Two kids and-," The way he said it, made her realize that he wanted it too. Just as bad as he did.

But she couldn't promise him anything. Not when everything was so uncertain.

"Yeah, I do… someday," She replied, nervously.

"Will you ever marry me?" He inquired holding both of her hands.

She felt her breath get caught at his question. But before she could reply, his eyes narrowed, a frown covered his face.

"Damon, I-,"

"Shush." He said, suddenly serious, his eyes cold.

A loud bang startled her. He jumped to her side, making her hide under the table. A series of gunshots followed.

"What's happening?"

"It's Augustine's men." He answered. "They've been sent by him to kill me," He said as he helped her up. They ran out of the diner to the parking. He pushed her against the wall, covering her body with his, shielding her. She heard gunshots everywhere.

"Listen to me, Elena, I'll hold them up. Go back to car and hide there. I'll follow you in a while,"

"No. No. I won't. I'm not leaving you." She whimpered. What if he died in his attempt to keep her safe? She couldn't let that happen. She couldn't imagine life without him.

He insisted she go but she refused bluntly. Finally, he gave in. With much struggle, they finally made it to the car. He took the driving seat while she sat on the passenger seat. He drove the car fast onto the road leading out of the town.

"Where are we going?" she demanded.

"Leaving." He said determinedly.

"What?"

"We're leaving this town forever,"

"What? No. We can't do that."

"We have to, if we want to survive." He said, "They've seen you with me. I know they've been keeping an eye on us for a while. They'll hurt you if we stay. I will never allow that. We'll run away far away from here, they'll never find us."

"Damon. Stop. No, we can't." She demanded, attempting to pull the breaks.

"What the fuck, Elena? Stop."

"I'm not leaving. Pull over, now."

On her demand, he stopped the car. He turned to her holding her hand. "Elena, we don't have any other way," His tone was so desperate, she almost surrendered. "They've seen you with me. They know you're important to me. They know you're my life. They know you're my weakness and they'll exploit it. I can't lose you, Elena. I won't let them hurt you,"

"You won't lose me," She pulled him to her, hugging him, running her fingers through his hair.

They stayed like that for a while. Then he finally pulled back.

"We've no option but to leave, Elena. Please try to understand."

"There is an option." She cupped his face.

"What?" He inquired eagerly.

"Come to our side," She suggested.

"What?"

"Damon, you wanted redemption, didn't you? A chance to new life? Well, here's your chance. You can confess. Help the FBI track down the godfather and the mob."

"Elena, that's—,"

"I promise you that you won't be alone. Alaric and I'll fight for you. If you help us, I promise you that we'll give you a clear record, and a permeant bail. You won't be accounted for what you did in the past." She said softly as she looked into his eyes. "You'll be free and then we can be together,"

It would be risky. He knew that. He could lose his freedom and life if this turned out to be a scam but he trusted her blindly. "Okay, I'll do it for you," He said. "I'll accept all my crimes and I'll help the FBI find the Godfather. I'll do it. Only for you."

..

..

"Alaric, this isn't fair," Elena argued. She was in a very heated argument with him. Damon's confession had shaken the headquarter. But unlike they promised, they had transferred Damon to the Enhanced Interrogation Room and had forbidden her to meet him.

"Elena, don't you think you're a little too sympathetic to a killer," He hissed.

"Alaric, when I called you that Damon has agreed to help on conditions, you promised that you'll fight for him if he helped us. You agreed to all his conditions."

"He has confessed that he killed seventy-two people," Alaric replied. "I have no sympathy for a monster like him. I support the board's decision. After he discloses the godfather's location, we'll transfer him to area 24. He'll go through a quick trial and then to a place he rightfully deserves."

"But that's cheating. You promised him a chance to mend his ways, you promised him a new life in exchange for his help."

"He's still mentally unstable, Elena. He is not safe to the public. And don't you dare deny it. I know that he threatened your friend."

"How the hell…," she paused, "Caroline,"

"Tell me, Elena, why are you so concerned about him? What's going on between you two?" He inquired.

Elena didn't answer, looking away nervously.

"Tell me," He said, "I'm your friend, Elena. Your teacher. You can trust me."

"I love him." She replied. "He loves me too. Madly. Deeply. Irrecoverably."

His eyes widened. It took him seconds to connect dots. "Are you insane? Oh God, that's why he'd been asking for you. Goodness, Elena. You could… you could get fired. You have been sleeping with a mentally unstable criminal… Do you have any idea what you've done? That's it. I'm taking you off this case. You're no longer his doctor and you're no longer allowed to visit or talk to him."

"Ric, please,"

"And if you try to interfere, I'll have you fired."

"Ric."

"You're dismissed, Miss Gilbert."

..

..

 _So don't forget me, I beg_

 _I'll remember you said_

 _Sometimes it lasts in love_

 _but sometimes it hurts instead_

Damon had confessed to his crimes but he had hold off his information about Augustine. He wanted to meet Elena before he disclosed the information. But they told him that she wasn't around. He knew something was up. She wouldn't leave him here just like that.

He told them that he will not tell anything until he sees Elena. They tried to convince him otherwise but he didn't budge. That's when officer Shane ordered him to be taken to the Enhanced Interrogation room. They suspended him up upside down and beat him ruthlessly. They starved him and kept him in a small dark cell for days.

Every part of his body hurt but he didn't speak a word.

"He still hasn't said anything," One of the officers asked.

"No, sir. We've tried everything but he still insists that he will only talk after he talks to doctor Gilbert?"

"Oh he does," The man, officer Shane said, sinking to his knees next to him. "It's amazing how love can make one so weak? Look at you, you're pathetic." The man hissed.

Damon looked up, but never answered. "I must admit; Doctor Gilbert kept her word. When she took the mission, I thought she didn't have it in her but wow. I mean, she promised she'll make you confess and she did."

"Mission? What mission?"

"Oh, you don't know? Miss Gilbert said that traditional torture wouldn't work on you. She believed that a little show of affection and manipulation of love would do the trick and she was right." He laughed.

Damon couldn't believe it. His heart felt as if it were breaking into a million tiny pieces that could never be put together.

"You think she loved you, didn't you? Why on earth would a girl like her fall for a loser like you?"

To Damon, life felt meaningless. A series of memories flashed before his eyes, his memories of Elena. The memories he cherished more than life. Everything was a lie. Every touch, every kiss, every confession of love and each promise of forever. All lies.

"Now that that's out of the way let's talk about the godfather? I wanted to ask-," But before he could finish Damon grabbed him by the neck and snapped it in a quick move.

..

..

The news was all over the tv. The gang members of Cosa Nostra had attacked the headquarters and broke him out. It was considered that someone from inside had helped him break out.

Alaric, Elena, and the other officers were investigated thoroughly.

The FBI searched for him everywhere for months but all in vain. Secretly, Elena was happy that he escaped. For months, she waited for him to get in contact with her but he never did. It was like he never existed.

Sometimes, she missed him a lot. Her life had stopped the day he was arrested and taken away from her. Some days she wished she had accepted his offer and escaped with him. But it was too late now.

She realized that she had lost the man she loved, probably forever. All she could do was sit on her bed and cry herself to sleep.

..

..

 _So I hate to turn up out of the blue uninvited_  
 _But I couldn't stay away, I couldn't fight it_  
 _I had hoped you'd see my face and that you'd be reminded_  
 _That for me it isn't over_

 _ **Five years later**_

Damon had never thought he would ever return to the town again, the town he hated and loved. Five years ago, after the woman he loved more than anything or anyone in the world, deceived him, he had sworn he would never return to this town again.

She had defiled his love and trampled his heart to dust. She pretended to fix him when she actually planned to wreck him like no one other.

Now, he was cold and unfeeling, even more than he had been before. More dangerous. More ruthless. Merciless.

He could've gone back and taken his revenge on her. But he couldn't. He couldn't ever hurt her no matter how much she had destroyed him. So, he purposely kept himself busy in work. He never tried to know how she was doing or where she was now? He knew that if he saw her, he would break all over again.

"Focus," He told himself. He shouldn't think about her. He was on duty. He had been assigned a very important contract. He had to kidnap the mayor's fiancé. He had to keep her locked up until the mayor accepted Augustine's demands and then he had to kill her.

Since this was a very important task, Augustine had assigned him this himself.

He'd send his partner a month ago to get all details about the future Mrs. Lockwood. He drove to the address that his partner sent him.

It was a small lake house outside the town.

He parked the car a mile away from the house so that the sound of the car wouldn't alert her. Then he took out his gun from his bag and made his way, quietly to the house.

He peeked through the window to have a better look at who was in the house. Was she alone? Or did she have company? No, she was all alone, standing in the kitchen, cooking for herself.

She hummed a familiar tone. Everything about her seemed familiar.

And then he froze.

Just then she turned. The girl he loved to bits. The manifestation of his most beautiful dreams.

Elena Gilbert.

He had never seen her look more beautiful. Her hair was loose and falling down her back in shiny curls. Her skin vibrant and glowing. And her eyes. Her beautiful brown eyes made his heart skip a beat. He pulled back from the window, standing against the wooden wall, breathing heavily. It was really her. It was his Elena.

Then suddenly a thought came in his mind. What was she doing here? Was she… was she Lockwood's fiancé? He felt his insides turn cold and blood rush to his face.

Motionless as stone, he stood against the wall and slowly sunk to his knees. She had moved on. Did she even remember him anymore? He felt his heart break all over again.

After he had left, he had missed her every second of every day. It hurt so much to live without her. He'd died every day after he found out that he'd been a victim of her cruel deception. But it looked like, she was doing fine. Better. She had found herself a man that she loved and was going to marry.

Someone else was going to get everything he yearned for.

How dare she? He thought. How dare she make him fall in love with her and then leave him to wither in pain and torment? He'd show her the consequences of messing with him. He'd take his revenge. And after all, a job was a job.

Taking a deep breath, he picked up his gun and stood up. He walked up to the main door. He knew she kept the spare keys in the flower pot. And just like he guessed he found one.

He picked it up and unlocked the door, slowly sneaking in. He pulled out his handkerchief, pouring a liquid onto it.

He sneaked up behind her.

Just then she turned. Her eyes widened in surprise but before she could say anything, he pushed the cotton hankie against her nose. She struggled to breathe and fight but then slowly she stopped and fell unconscious in his arms.

Slowly, he laid her down on the floor, looking at her as if he was looking at her the first time. He caressed her face with the back of his fingers. Was her skin always so soft? Did she always look so innocent? He gazed at her for a long time. Should he let her go? He couldn't possibly hurt her. He wouldn't. He would refuse to Augustine that he couldn't do the job.

A thought came to his mind. If he refuses to do the job, Augustine would hire someone else. And that particular someone else would kill her without a second thought.

No. No. He wouldn't let that happen. He couldn't breathe in a world she didn't exist.

He would take her away. Yes, that was his only choice. He picked her up in his arms and walked out of the house.

..

..

 _So, now only one installment left. Do review? Let me know what you liked, what was shocking, and what do you think of this relationship between Damon and Elena. I'll be waiting for your thoughts._

 _I hope you enjoyed your read._

 _Thank you to each one of you for always being so supportive. You're an amazing group of people and I'm proud to be a part of such wonderful and supportive fandom._

 _Be safe!_

 _Review?_


	3. A heart of broken glass

**Announcement: Since this chapter was of 20k words I have split it into 2 chapters of 10k words each. The next chapter would be posted after 3 days, given the readers are interested.**

* * *

Warning: Graphical violence, sexual content. There is also some inappropriate scenes but they're inline with plot and would be addressed as wrong.

Please, remember the plot revolves around the mafia and the characters will act as such.

 **Chapter 3 (Part 1): 'A heart of broken glass, defiled'**

* * *

The room was dark and deathly quiet. She had just woken up from a very disturbed slumber. She looked around. Where was she? She felt her head spin. It was strange to be dizzy in pitch black.

What happened? She couldn't remember anything at all.

She stretched on the bed. The silk sheets slid through her fingers and caressed her skin. Perfume. She could smell it now—a familiar fragrance. The scent of someone she knew. Who? She ran through her mental file of the people in her life with amazing scents.

"Damon," She whispered.

..

..

He was at the meeting but his mind was somewhere else. Series of memories flashed before him. Some very happy memories. The memories he cherished more than life. But they were all meaningless now. Weren't they?

He opened the file and once again, looked at Elena and Mason's engagement pictures. Yes, it was her. She was the Mayor's fiancé.

His stomach started to knot, and he felt as if someone just kicked him in his gut.

"Have you informed the Lockwood's about ransom amount and also about our deal? About Klaus's bail?" Damon asked Kol, one of his most trusted men.

"Yes, we did," Kol replied. "And we didn't call from a private phone. We broke into a house and used their phone, we demanded Klaus's release and the ransom amount, and also demanded their withdrawal from our bases."

"Good. " He instructed, strictly. "Any response from their side?"

Kol shook his head.

Wow, did they not care about her at all?

"And… call Augustine, tell him that fifty thousand is very less price for this job, I refuse to do anything under less than a hundred thousand increment to the final price,"

"Damon, I don't think he would-,"

"Did I ask for your suggestion, Kol?" His tone as hard as steel.

Kol swallowed thickly under his strict stare but then nodded and left.

What was he doing? Would he really hand her over to Augustine knowing what he could do to her? No, of course, he wouldn't but he couldn't exactly rebel from Augustine either. He would be shunned from the underworld; the only place he had left now.

He will save her but he had to be very careful.

He looked at the pictures again, feeling anger and the feeling of betrayal boiling his blood again.

Why was he trying to save her when she had ripped his heart out from his chest and stomped it to dust?

He felt something furry touch his leg. "Hello, Miss Doe, You're finally awake," He said, picking the little kitten up.

"Don, the girl had been making a fuss, should we feed her?" Tyron asked him.

"Yes," He said after thinking a bit, "Order Chicken Parmesan," He remembered her love for that dish. "And less salt, she has a blood pressure problem,"

"Don, did you knew her?"

"Focus on work, Tyron," He said, strictly, snapping out of the daze of the memories.

"Yes,"

"And I don't want anyone mingling with her. Don't talk to her. Don't stay around her. Don't even look at her," He warned, loud enough for everyone to hear.

"Yes, don."

..

..

"Let me out!" She shouted, tapping on the door. "Please! Is someone out there?"

She had been knocking on the door, pleading to be released. She didn't know why and who would keep her captive like this? What did they want with her?

A part of her knew who her captor was but she tricked herself into believing that it couldn't be him at all because that was impossible. Wasn't it? He never contacted her in the past five years, why would he bother now?

She heard someone step close to the door. She took a few steps back, looking for anything, some sort of weapon to defend herself.

Her eyes fell on a lamp. She picked it up, standing behind the door.

The door opened, a muscular man entered, holding food tray. But before he could say anything, she hit him with the lamp with all her might. The man fell with a scream.

Elena gasped and clapped her hands over her mouth, hands shaking. This was her only chance. She had to run. She leaped over him and ran as fast as she could.

"The girl is trying to escape," She heard a voice.

"Catch her,"

She didn't stop to look how many people were following her. She could hear them ordering her to stop, inching closer to her.

And then she slammed into a hard chest. She almost fell back, had it been not his tough grip on her back.

With all the strength she possessed, she looked up at the man she ran into. Frightened brown eyes met cold blues. She gasped. _So, I wasn't wrong. It is him._

"Surprise!" He said, with a mocking smile.

She couldn't muster the courage to speak to him, she was still in shock. She gasped his name as if she couldn't believe her eyes.

"Missed me?" His tone was playful yet cold enough to run a shiver down her spine.

"You…you're really here," She tried to touch his face as if checking to see if it was indeed him or her vivid imagination playing her mind again. But before she could, he stepped a couple of steps away, as if her touch burned him.

"Yes, I am alive. Surprise, right? God knows how I managed to escape," He said with a sigh, moving his hair out of his eye, inching closer. "But the question is why are you alive, especially after everything you did to me,"

"I…," She struggled to speak. She tried to think but right now, she couldn't. She tried to speak but her voice failed her. Maybe she was still in shock.

"You haven't changed a bit?" Her eyes traveled him, not getting enough of him.

"I did," He answered, "your eyes don't affect me anymore," His face was like stone, emotionless, his eyes dark and empty, devoid of feelings, and his lips taut, almost cruel, and determined.

Her eyes darted to the photographs in his hand.

It was her.

Mason and her.

His eyes followed hers and brimming with anger when he found the object of her attention. "Congratulations, Engaged finally huh. Not a good choice though. The guy still hasn't responded to our demands. Not sure if he actually cares about-,"

"Damon, you have to listen to me,"

"Shush." He pushed a finger against her lips but stopped before his finger could touch her. This moment reminded him of a memory, a memory of a lifetime ago. "No talking… because I'm a little easy to convince," He said, reminding her of her betrayal. "Learned that the hard way,"

"Would you at least listen to me till I finish?"

"No," He refused. "Lock her up in the room again. Keep a strict guard. And if she so much steps a foot out of that room, I'll kill all of you," He ordered a couple of men that had been quietly standing behind him this whole time.

"It's not what you think. I tried everything. I tried to talk them out of their decision but they took me off the case, I…,"

"I said no talking." He hissed. She flinched, taking a step back.

"Don't worry, you'll enjoy your stay here," He said, "You love to experiment your knowledge on criminals. You'll have countless unredeemable cruel and mental patients to observe here, we won't bore you,"

"How long are you going to keep me here?"

"As long as I want,"

"What do you want? Why are you doing this?" She demanded.

"That's for me to know and for you to dot dot dot,"

"Damon, you can't do this. It's-,"

"against the law. Spare me the lecture,"

"I refuse to stay here," She said, firmly as if her word was final.

He rose a brow, amused by her courage but then his face contorted into a furious look that ran a shiver down her spine. "Like hell, you will." He stepped towards her and she stepped back reflexively.

Elena suddenly found herself trapped between the cold wall and the heat of Damon's body, her hands crushed against his muscled chest as he slowly lowered his head as if intending to kiss her but instead he caught the back of her neck and tilted her face up to look at him. "Firstly, mind the tone. The man standing in front of you isn't the fool who was in love with you five years ago. I will not be spoken to like that. And secondly, you have no other option, you're trapped here and if you try to escape, not only will I bring you back but I'll send someone up to your darling fiancé's house and have him killed within seconds. Wouldn't want that, would you?" He inquired, caressing the side of her cheek.

Her eyes filled with heavy, painful tears of hopelessness. What has she done to him? She looked at him worriedly. Even her tears couldn't melt him. Years ago, her word, her smiles, everything meant more to him than anything in the world.

"Please,"

"How does it feel to be helpless?" He asked. "When you have nowhere to go, no one to talk to. No one to help." It was what he felt when she abandoned him.

It took her minutes to understand what he meant.

"Lock her up,"

..

..

As much as he told himself that she didn't affect him, but it was ridiculous. Because it was clear as daylight that she still had control over him and his heart like she did five years ago. She was the first woman that had made him feel and he couldn't ever let go of that. He could never get her out of his head or his heart. She was there to stay. Forever.

He clutched his glass of bourbon tightly. Turning on the stereo, music blared in the room.

Before she walked into his life. He was fine, he had learned how to squash the killing guilt that came with the life he lived. He had turned off his feelings. He had a stone cold heart and damaged the soul. He knew he could never be redeemed so why should he even try? Then she showed up and destroyed everything. She broke his walls one by one and ruined him by giving him something too poisonous for a man of his profession; a hope, a chance to redeem, a chance to live.

Like a fool he followed it. He took the bait in hopes for a happily ever after. He didn't want to be a monster anymore. He wanted a normal happy life like everyone else. He didn't want to be hated. But as soon as he reached for her, he found out that it was all a cruel joke, she was taken away and he was pushed back into the dark, where he was forced to learn to live without hope again.

He gulped down the entire drink, making another, but instead of pouring it, he took hold of the bottle, why couldn't he have it?

There was still no word from the Lockwood's. They didn't care about her. Did they? If Mason loved her so much why wasn't he here to save her? The answer was because he didn't need her, didn't love her like Damon did, he could do without this wonderful girl, he had everyone. He had family, he had friends. He had social reputation. He could get any woman he desired. But Damon had no one. The only person he ever loved betrayed him and left him to die.

He closed his eyes and saw the pair of loveliest smiling eyes, her eyes. It infuriated him and calmed him at the same time.

Drinking to a point when he could drink no more, he got up, held his head in hands as he stumbled towards his room, the word 'Hope' just kept booming in his head. Memories after memories flashed before his eyes.

He clenched his fists and started to pace towards her room, he wanted an explanation for what she did to him or maybe he wanted revenge. Or maybe he just wanted her to see the wreck she made him, not that he was full of life to begin with, but she was the one who ruined him completely. He wanted to know why she did it? Why?

When he unlocked her door and stepped in, he found her asleep, how can someone so cruel sleep so peacefully.

He went to lean over her and before he could touch her, her eyes lazily opened and widened at the sight of him. Before she could scream he pushed a finger against her lips. "Shh. Don't bother. No one would listen anyway."

"What are you doing?" She gasped. She inched closer, sniffing him, "Are… are you drunk?"

He made a little tilted 'u' with his thumb and index finger, "A little," He stumbled on the chair near her bed. She rushed to hold him before he could fall.

"Are you okay?" She asked him, holding his hand.

"No," He shook his head, "No, I am not. And it's all your fault," He hissed.

"Damon, I can explain,"

"No. No you can't. You have broken me and there is no explanation for that. But you know fuck it. I don't care. I know what to do to make myself whole again,"

"You're getting this all wrong."

He rolled his eyes leaning over to grasp her hand and pull her closer to him, "No. No, no and no," he cupped her face stroking her hair too, "You need to listen to me."

"You did this to me, Elena, you ruined me. I loved you, I love you so much and you ruined me,"

"I don't underst… you're just, this isn't you,"

"You thought of me as a lost cause right? I couldn't be redeemed but I could be experimented on. You thought you'd manipulate your work out of me, fine, but why would you get my hopes up, when you wanted to crush them, why the fuck did I think of you as my happy ever after, when all you did was pushing me off an edge, and what if I had died, you would have married Lockwood, forgetting me, letting the memory of me sink to oblivion, while letting him touch you! Touch what's mine."

He stepped to her while she stepped back, "To you it must have been a mere task, making love to me was a job to you right, tell me how does it feel? Sleeping with someone you have no emotions for, telling them you love them over and over."

She shivered shaking her head as he growled at her, "Answer me."

She reached for his face, "I do love you, I never lied… calm down, please."

"You liked sleeping with me? I remember you enjoyed it."

"What are you doing?"

"You say you love me, but you left me."

"I… I do. I-,"

"Yet you're marrying someone else,"

"Damon, you should go, I don't think you should-,"

He bent his head and inhaled a deep breath, his lips hovering over her pulse. Heat flashed up her body, and just as quickly a shiver wracked her insides. His hot mouth slid up her neck, tiny kisses following all the way down to her breasts.

"Damon-, please, I don't… please, listen I-,"His lips were leaving a trail of fire behind them on her neck but she resisted to temptations. Not like this. She thought. Not when he was so vulnerable. "Damon-, stop."

"Why? I thought you loved me,"

His lips traveled up her neck to her chin to her lips. "Stop. This isn't right. Damon, you're better than this," He grasped her wrists, holding them above her head.

"NO I AM NOT." He growled trying to kiss her again but before he could, she managed to pull her wrists out of his hold and slapped him hard across the face. It hardly affected him but sobered him a little as she pushed him away, "You said you loved me, is that what you call love?"

She looked hurt, he stood there watching her as she rubbed her forearm.

Guilt crippled him. What was he about to do? Had he finally lost it? Before he could say anything, he felt bile rise up his throat, he turned to rush the attached bathroom and vomited till his throat burned, he got finished and couldn't feel anything heavier than his head and lighter than his feet, head in hands he fell near the door, he could hear the feeble sound of her she stepping closer to him.

He suddenly remembered that he had a gun in his pants. She could take it out, kill him and escape. She sunk to her knees, cupping his face as if examining him. Her eyes fell on the gun in the pocket of his jeans.

There it was.

Her chance to escape. But could she leave him here?

She sighed, taking out his gun from his pocket and putting it to a side. She then dragged him back to the room helping him up, she realized he couldn't go back, he was almost asleep, mumbling something under breath.

"Damon… get up," She helped him up, supporting most of the weight of his body and pushed him to the bed. She then took of his shoes and put them to aside, arranged, just like he liked it.

She sat next to him and for a while just stared at him, she knew whatever he did was under the high influence of alcohol and hurt but he still caused her pain, she didn't know to hate him? Pity him? Or love him? But he had held her responsible for what he was. She wondered what he thought of himself? Maybe a monster.

Was it bad that she felt guilty and responsible for how much he hated himself now?

"I have never stopped loving you," She said, biting her lip.

Running fingers through his hair and thinking of all their mutual memories, she never knew when she fell asleep.

..

..

She woke up to find herself alone. She never knew when he left. He probably wondered how he got here? She was sure he didn't even remember what he attempted to do last night. She rose up, bringing her knees to her chest, wrapping her hands around her body. She wondered how long he will keep her here. Was he ever planning to let her go.

It disappointed her to the core that he had returned to his old ways. He was even more cold-hearted and ruthless now, more dangerous. He didn't even spare her. She always thought of herself an exception to his anger but last night she realized that she had broken him completely. She had pushed him off the edge and she was in as much as danger from him as the next person.

The line of her thoughts broke when there was a knock on the door.

She narrowed her eyes.

"Can I come in?" She heard an unfamiliar voice.

"Uh.. sure,"

A young boy in his late teens entered. He had a child-like face but quite a muscular body. He didn't look like he belonged from a dark world such as this.

"I have your breakfast," He said almost too mechanically. "We have brought you your dresses, I'll put them in your closet. Would you like me to run you a bath?"

"Umm. Sure,"

He nodded and left. Once, he left Elena realized she hadn't eaten since yesterday. She was really hungry. She uncovered the tray. Her eyes widened looking at luxurious breakfast. She was sure none of Damon's victim would get treated like she was being treated. Almost everything on the tray was her favorite.

'He remembers' She thought.

But despite the growling in her stomach, she put the tray to the side.

Just then Kol reentered. His hands were full of plastic bags of dresses.

"What's all this?"

"Well, apparently, you're going to stay here for a while. So, Don ordered us to buy you stuff that you would need."

"Don?" She rose a brow.

"Damon."

"What? Wasn't he a contract hitman,"

"He had a rank upgrade when he managed to kill George,"

"Mayor George?" Her eyes widened.

"Who else?" Kol smirked.

She shook her head, disapprovingly.

"You haven't eaten." He commented looking at the untouched food tray.

"I don't want too."

"Don will not like it,"

"I don't care what he likes and what he doesn't." She replied carelessly.

"You know I think I know you from somewhere else, are you related to Ex Mayor George?" Kol asked, he distantly remembered something about her, like he had seen her picture somewhere. Maybe she had been a family member of one of their victims.

"He's my fiancé's brother,"

"Oh. No, not that. Maybe I have seen you somewhere else," He said. But she never replied. She didn't want to talk to him. She was far too upset.

"Very well then," He said as he left.

..

..

Augustine was a bit furious that he had raised the price but he agreed anyway. But the thing that worried him was that, there hasn't been any response from Lockwood's end. If they didn't hurry soon, Elena's life would be in grave danger. He'd decided that he would give Augustine what he wanted and that was Klaus's bail and the ransom money, and afterward, instead of returning Elena he would keep her.

Why should he hand her over back? He was selfish. He took what he wanted. He would not give up the only ounce of happiness life gifted him with. No matter what. He figured that she could escape last night, she could have easily killed him and escape but she didn't. So that meant that maybe she did… wanted to stay with him. But he didn't care if Elena didn't approve of it. He didn't care if anyone approved of it. She was staying with him. And that was final.

He was working on another contract, assigning duties to his team, he didn't go out for each assignment himself anymore. He would assign tasks to his men and let them finish the job. He only went on big assignments, the ones that brought a lot of cash.

"He will leave the house at two, kill him there. Make it look like an accident." He said coldly. He no longer cared about anyone anymore. If anything, he enjoyed the thrill, the power over someone else's life and fate. The world had treated him like trash and now it was his turn to give it what it deserves.

"Damon, Elena refused to eat," Kol interrupted the meeting and his thoughts.

His face hardened and his eyes filled with anger. He knew she was stubborn. She wouldn't be easy. But this was ridiculous.

"I want the job done till three and I would be waiting for confirmation call by 3:05. You may all leave now." He ordered, folding his arms on his chest.

Everyone nodded in approval and picked up their guns from the table and left. Once they were out, Damon gestured Kol to take a seat. He did as told.

"Kol, what did you call her?"

"Elena," He replied, confused.

"Hmm." He stood up, his hands in his pockets. "Why didn't you call her 'that girl' like everyone else here does? Who gave you the privilege to call her by her name?"

"I… I didn't know it was a big deal,"

"This is a big deal, Kol. Familiarity creates sympathy. Sympathy leads to love. And love makes one revolt. Do you understand what I'm trying to say?"

He shook his head, nervously, still confused.

"How about this? Stay detached if you want to keep your head. Is that clear enough?" He asked, his eyes threatening as if daring him to refuse.

"Yes, Don."

"Good."

..

..

She was sitting on the bed, looking at the roof, her finger tracing an invisible pattern on her hand, when the door busted open and he came in like angry tiger ready to pounce on its prey.

She didn't react at all. She had a plan in her mind. She wanted to push his buttons and see how far he could allow his anger to consume him? Would he hurt her too? She wanted to see if the love was still there. Did he still feel or did he shut himself to the world and her completely? The episode from the last night implied that he still felt but his disappearance in the morning confused her.

"What?" she asked, not looking at him.

"I sent you breakfast,"

"I know."

"Was it not in accord to your liking?"

"You know pancakes are my favorite," She rolled her eyes.

"Then why didn't you eat,"

"Because I don't want to. I refuse to eat until you release me," She said, looking at her nails.

"You're not going anywhere." He said almost too hurriedly. "Your fiancé hasn't still agreed to our demands. It's going to be awhile. So, you better-,"

"I'm not eating unless and until I'm freed." She replied strictly.

"Fine. Starve. I don't care." He said, shrugging.

"Sure,"

He was about to go but then he turned. "Look, Elena-,"

"I've already told you my demands,"

"You're in no position to make demands," He growled. "So you best do what I say. And I'll not take no for an answer." He warned.

"No, I won't." She said, carelessly.

"Elena, don't make it more difficult than it already is,"

"Why is it difficult for you? You're used to this, aren't you? You bring your victims here and torture them to death, this is what you've done all your life, it mustn't be so difficult." She said, jumping off the bed and standing in front of him. "Why, Damon? I thought you didn't like this life. You told me you get nightmares, don't you? You hear their screams; you hear them beg for life. You never wanted to return here than why would you come back?"

His face flashed with anger, his nostrils flared and his eyes filled with fire. "Don't. Don't go there."

"Why?"

"I don't want to be reminded of the biggest mistake I did or-,"

"Or what? You're afraid you'll hurt me?"

"Stop it, Elena. Stop acting like I left you. I readily gave up everything for you. But you deceived me. You left me to die for a mere promotion. I trusted you, I believed you when you told me that we could be together if I confess,"

"I tried, Damon. I tried so much. But they took me off the case. I got fired, they canceled my license I-,"

"Boo hoo. They fired you. Well, they were about to kill me! I would have ended up on the electric chair if it weren't for Augustine. Not like it matters to you. I bet you wouldn't even remember my name. You would be happy in your happy little heaven with Mayor Mason Lockwood."

"Yes, I would be." She hissed.

"Oh, really? Guess what, princess? He hasn't even contacted us yet. We've told him our demands but he never answered. He's not even trying to get you back. He prefers his money over your life." He had a wicked smirk on his face.

"Well, he will contact, I'm sure of that. It's not like I'll stay here forever. He'll free me from you by hook or by croo-,"

She never completed when he pushed her against the wall, making her yelp. "Not one more word, Elena."

"Or what?"

"Or I'll kill you," He warned.

"Try me," She said bravely, locking eyes with him. She saw it, the love in his eyes for her, he couldn't imagine hurting her, how on earth would he kill her. She knew he couldn't breathe in a world she didn't live in. He was still hers and she ruled his heart and his mind.

"You can't hurt me, Damon. You won't. You love me far too much for your own good," She said, gazing into his eyes. "And I-," Before she could complete, he pulled away from her, as if scared that she saw too much. "Don't. No more lies."

"They're not lies."

"You'll not manipulate me this time," He said more to himself than her. "I'll not give you the power to break me again." He said as he took a few steps backward. He was acting as if he had seen a ghost.

Before she could stop him, he turned around and rushed outside, locking the door after him.

..

..

A week had passed now. Elena and Damon came to a negotiation on her living terms. At first she had refused to eat until she was released but then when she saw that he was in no mood to compromise on that and hand her over, she had no other option but to accept and wait for Mason and his family to negotiate with them and somehow free her from them.

But even she had to admit that she wasn't being treated as a victim rather she was free to walk around the house and do whatever she desired, have whatever she wanted… except for going out of the house. She noticed that none of the crew, people from his gang, didn't dare to look at her, as if afraid of someone. She knew who, though.

She decided to take advantage of her selected freedom. She had observed that Damon ignored running into her. It was like he was afraid that if he stayed around her, she would break his walls again and he would end up cornered and vulnerable. He didn't trust her at all.

But Elena needed him to talk to her. She wanted to clear the misunderstandings and tell him that she really did only love him and that she never left him. They'd been both victims to circumstances. She couldn't stand to see him stay in his dark world forever, especially when she knew he despised it. He only returned because it was his only choice. She wanted to pull him out of the darkness again and make him see the errors of his ways. But for that she needed his attention and to get his attention, she needed to get under his skin.

She opened her closet and looked through her dresses, that he had a bought her, according to Kol. All the dresses were beautiful and expensive, and almost all of them were in her favorite colors. She knew he knew that she liked to dress up and that she loved colors. She realized that Damon didn't forget anything about her.

Dressing up in the shortest shorts and a skin tight baby blue shirt, she made her way to the kitchen. She had the satisfaction of seeing his eyes bulge out when he saw her, but then he looked away as if unaffected. He was briefing his team over some other contract maybe. She couldn't listen because they were talking in a very low tone.

Like always none of the men looked at her as she passed the hallway, it was like they had been forbidden from so much as stealing a glance of her.

"You're dismissed," She heard Damon finish the meeting and gestured them to leave immediately. His focus turned to the cardboard model of a building placed on the table. He was making a strategy to finish his job and escape undetected. She knew because he had told her that it helps, long time ago when he was her patient.

She picked up a bag of chips from the counter and walked to him. She noticed him visibly tense when she sat opposite to him. She placed the bag of chips and table and ate nosily. A couple of chips fell from the bag onto the table. She knew he despised mess but she did it on purpose.

He ignored her as if she wasn't there, still focused on the model, moving a toy gunman from this room to another room.

"Oh, dear. You're such a klutz, look at the mess you made. You're twenty-eight now and yet you have table manners of a six-year-old. Mama would be so disappointed," she said as she munched as loudly as she could, enjoying him wince with each 'crup' sound.

He had that face on again, one that was the epitome of strained patience.

"Should've gotten a napkin. Well, too late now. Not that I have to clean it up. Speaking of cleaning up, I have so much laundry to do when I get back home, I mean-,"

"Who are you talking to?" He finally interrupted, confused. She was awfully talkative he remembered that, and he had once loved that trait.

"Myself." She replied, as if obvious, "No one over here talks to me, I get bored, so I decided to enjoy the company of-,"

"Okay, okay," He interrupted, pretending to be irritated. "But can you keep it low?"

She nodded, sighing.

"Why are you here though? The meeting is over."

"Elena, I think you suffer from chronic amnesia. This is my house remember?" Damon replied. His voice was devoid of inflection as it always. Any other person would have missed the sarcasm but she knew him more than he knew himself.

"I don't suffer from amnesia. Thank you very much. It's called hope. I'm hoping that if I think it enough, I will wake up from this nightmare, of being stuck in your house!" Elena retorted, shooting him a big fake smile.

He rolled his eyes at her antics, ignoring her comment. Why did she want to go so bad? Didn't he give her everything here?

"Elena, you should go to bed," He was treating her like a child, ordering her around like he ordered everyone. She pursed her lips. _You're not getting away easy tonight._

"No."

"Suit yourself," He shrugged, eyes fixed on his work.

He looked so unaffected that it bothered her. Deciding to take another go at him, she crunched on the chips as loud as she could. She did it over and over again, until she noticed him biting the inside of his cheek as if resisting to shout. She smirked when he looked at the mess she made on the table. Bits of chips everywhere. Her hands and the table cover dirty with ketchup.

He finally warranted her with his attention. Despite the irritation visible on his face, his eyes were warm. "Kol!" He clicked his finger.

"Yes, don." He almost appeared out of nowhere.

"Please," He gestured at her direction.

His eyes widened when he saw how she had trashed the table. "Miss… can you please go to your room, I need to have this table cleaned."

"No." Elena refused bluntly.

"Miss, you don't understand,"

"I do." She replied evilly. She looked at Damon innocently, locking eyes with him finally, "Am I bothering you, Don?"

" Of course not, Miss Elena. You are my guest feel free to eat like an ill-mannered child if it suits your fancy,"

"What did you call me?"

"Elena, I really don't want to deal with you right now. I have work to do."

"You picked the fight"

"I am not resorting to the childish nonsense of who started it."

"I'm not a child," She said, involuntarily stomping her foot.

"Whatever. Kol, please, can you escort Miss Elena to her room."

"'No, Kol. I'll not go. I'll stay here all night if I want to."

"Elena," He warned.

"That look won't scare me. You can scare them off with that big scary eyes but I have seen you in your worst, Damon Salvatore and I wasn't even scared then. I know you won't and you can't do anything to me. You can't hurt me even if you wanted to."

"And why do you think that?"

"Because you're in love with me," She said with an airy pride. From the corner of her eyes, she noticed Kol's mouth fell open.

"That man died five years ago. This man," He pointed to himself, "-isn't in love with you."

"Poor Damon, deceiving himself again." She said, pouting. "You're afraid to admit it but this is the truth, no matter how much you try to deny it."

"Very well then Elena, you can entertain as many petty assumptions about me as you very well please. Now can I return to my work,"

"Work or a contract?"

"None of your fucking business,"

"It is my business. One of these days you'll end up getting hurt, or killed. Do you have any idea how would I-,"

"Don't pretend to care," He hissed.

"I'm not pretending. If you would listen to me you'd know I never gave up on you. You were never a mission to me. I loved you… still do. I was deceived by my department head. He promised me your bail but then backed out once he got what he wanted. I fought, I really did. I even lost my job because of it. But it was impossible to get to you. I had half a mind to break you out but before I could do anything you escaped. You didn't even bother to contact me, not that I blame you, but you should have had more trust in me,"

"Kol, take her away please,"

"You don't believe me?"

"No."

"Is there someone else?"

"Moving on was only easy for you," He said with so much hurt in his voice that it broke her heart.

"That is another story, I would tell you, if you would listen to me,"

"I don't want to,"

"Well, you have to." She insisted.

"Don, you really should listen to her. The girl would stop eating again and-," Kol stopped when Damon glared at him. _Stop giving her ideas._

"Yes, I would. I refuse to eat until you listen to me,"

"Fine, Starve!"

"If you wanted to kill me, take your gun and kill me now, you don't need to starve me to death," She tried another tactic. Emotional blackmail.

He threw his hands up in frustration. He got up of his seat and placed his palms on the table that was in between them. He looked down at the counter with barely concealed irritation, regaining his composure. Elena tried to stay angry and not get distracted by the way Damon's arm's flexed, the way his veins protruded from the layers of pale skin.

"Elena, why does everything with you has to be a direct challenge?"

She walked around to stand face to face with him.

"Because Damon, when you say things with such insinuation what am I supposed to think?"

"Elena, don't annoy me. I won't hurt you, but it would take me a second to send someone at your fiancé's house and kill him and his family," He threatened.

"I refused to go before you let me explain," She folded her arms on her chest.

"Fine. Stay here. Don't sleep, for all I care," He turned to leave but she stood in front of him, blocking his way.

"Move,"

"No,"

"Elena, don't."

Elena had had it with his stubbornness. So she did what she always did when she got frustrated. She pushed him hard.

"Don't. Do. That. Again". His face was beginning to resemble that of a furious man.

Since Elena was Elena, she did not pay heed to Damon's warning instead she pushed harder. Next thing she knew she was pinned between a very angry Damon and the table. She tried to push him away but he wouldn't budge. The man was a solid as a rock. Surrounded. Consumed. He covered every inch of her.

She pushed harder. "I told you not to do that". He grumbled. She could feel the vibrations of his chest under her palms when he spoke. She could also feel the anger rolling of him in waves. Waves that were crashing around her, to the point where she was drowning in it.

He saw the intensity in her eyes and took her want for her fear. A memory flashed before his eyes. A memory of the night a week ago, when he found himself sleeping next to her. That night he didn't remember how he got there but today he did. He remembered pushing her against the wall, he remembered her pleadings, he remembered himself attacking her neck, kissing it till it bruised. He remembered her struggles. He was disgusted with himself.

He pulled back, a look of horror on his face.

She knew he remembered now. "Damon," she whispered but he shook his head, as if still in shock and rushed away.

..

..

He'd resorted to pretending she didn't exist. She tried to get him to talk to her but whenever she entered a room, he would leave. The only time when he talked to her was when he had taken her out of the house to some other place and made her call Mason asking him to send her help as soon as possible.

She didn't understand why he would want her to ask Mason for help when he had told her clearly that she wasn't going anywhere anytime soon. He had some game plan in mind and she had to know it.

She looked at the grandfather clock—nine twenty-five. It was time for his dinner, and right now he must be in a meeting, she knew because she heard him talk about it to Kol. She looked at herself in the mirror and checking her appearance, one last time, and then made her way down to the main room.

As expected, he was in a meeting. She walked past them to the kitchen. Their eyes locked once and she noticed his eyes travel down her body, disapprovingly before looking away.

What? She thought. Did she do something wrong?

"Hey… Elena," Kol whispered, sliding beside the counter, speaking through the corner of his mouth. "Do you need anything? You shouldn't come down during meeting times, you know."

"I thought I was allowed to exercise free will, didn't your boss say that? I'm free to do anything I desire as long as I stay inside the house," She reminded them of their agreement that happened in the first week.

"Yes, you can." He sighed. "You enjoy annoying him, don't you? Do you even know how dangerous he is?" He said after a while.

"I am aware," She replied. "I was his doctor first,"

"Oh, then you know that he-,"

"Kills for money. Yes, I do. I'm not afraid of him, though. He can't harm me," She replied carelessly. "Aren't you too young to be in mafia?" She asked. He barely looked nineteen.

"My brother Klaus. He was one of the Dons before he got arrested. All our properties are sealed and Klaus's enemies are after me. I had nowhere to go before Damon took me in. I'm to stay here until my brother returns."

She nodded, understandingly. Everyone here had sad stories.

"I best go, he doesn't like it when we talk to you," He said as he went out of the kitchen.

She rolled her eyes at his statement. It took her a while to remember why she was here in the first place. She wanted to make herself a cup of strong coffee. She searched for coffee beans. They were in the top shelf. She tried to reach for them on her tip toes, her blue and green striped shirt moved up and exposed the small of her back.

Then she felt something hard and warm on her back, and saw a very male hand, reach out and get the jar for her. She knew his touch before she even looked back. His firm body pressed against hers as he reached for the bag. The heat that was emanating from him onto her, reminded her of a beautiful nights long long time ago.

"Here," Damon handed it to her.

"Thank you,"

"What are you doing here right now? And what are you wearing?" He hissed under breath. Didn't she know that a lot of sexually frustrated criminals were roaming around here?

"They're not looking, you've warned them pretty well," She said taking the jar from him, turning around.

He took a deep breath. Yes he did warn them. No one would dare look at the woman that belonged to him only. She could parade naked around the house and none of them will dare look at her.

"Are we talking or are you still going to ignore me?"

"Not again, Elena." He said as if annoyed.

"I'm not lying, Damon. You know that. I wanted to be with you just as bad as you wanted to be with me,"

"You've a funny way of showing it," He said, holding her hand, showing her the engagement ring that still adorned her finger. "I've a reason for that,"

"Whatever," He said turning to leave, not giving her much thought.

"One of these days, you'll regret not trusting me," She called after him but he never looked back.

..

..

He was drinking again and thinking about her. He always thought about her. She never left his head. Slowly, she was breaking his resolve again, with her sweet words and her love filled eyes. He didn't like that. He didn't want to be weak again. Only, he knew how hard it was for him to live through her deception. He'd wanted to die every second.

He tried to think of something else. Mason had agreed to release Klaus. Now, the ball was in his court. He needed to play the game wisely. He wanted to complete the task and not give up Elena at the same time, but that wasn't as easy as it sounded. Augustine wanted her dead because her fiancé Mason, the corrupt mayor, who had also once been a part of Augustine's circle had backstabbed Augustine on a deal and joined their rivals. Augustine wanted everyone close to Mason dead. But what he didn't know was that, Mason's fiancé had once been Damon's beloved. And he wouldn't allow anyone to hurt her, at any cost.

Elena.

She had no idea of the danger she was in.

The line of his thoughts broke when he heard a crying sound coming from the upper floor.

Strange. He thought. Who would be up in this wee hours of the night. He got up, followed the sounds and was horrified to realize that the voices were coming from Elena's room. It was as if she was struggling against someone.

He kicked the door open. His eyes widened when he found her pinned to the bed with one of his men, Bruce, on top of her trying to tear off her clothes.

"Boss…,"He said getting away from her.

Damon hurried to the man, held him by the collar and hurled him against the wall. He could hear Elena scream in fear. He grabbed at Bruce's shirt forcefully pulling him off of the ground. He punched him in his face repeatedly. The man never defended himself, only crying and begging for mercy. His mouth was now bloody, his nose broken and out of line.

"Damon, stop. Please," She tried to hold him back but he growled at her, ordering her to get away before he ends up hurting her too. He took out his gun from his back pocket and shot the man straight in chest.

Elena stood there, thunderstruck. She just saw someone murder another human. Oh God.

He turned around, hurrying to her, holding her arms, looking for any wounds, checking. "Are you okay? Are you hurt? Are you-," He asked her if she was fine, if she was hurt, she saw the anxiety in his eyes, the pain in his soul for her. His eyes were as warm as they used to be. He looked at the dead body on the floor, "How did he even get here. Kol! KOL!" He shouted. Kol was supposed to keep her safe.

"He didn't do anything right?" He asked.

She shook her head.

"Is everything okay?" Kol and a couple of other men entered the room. They were fairly shocked when they saw the awfully bruised dead body on the carpeted floor. It took them a couple of minutes to connect the dots.

With a very grim expression on his face, Damon warned Kol for his carelessness and ordered him to get rid of the body. He took off his jacket, and covered Elena with it. He put an arm around her possessively and took her to his room. He helped her sit on the couch and gave her a glass of water to calm her nerves. She was still shivering.

He hugged her with great affection, but with inexpressible grief that she had to suffer so much. She pulled back, surprising him.

"Elena…," He said as if asking for an explanation.

"Is that why I'm here for? So that I'm compromised every other night because you think I betrayed you,"

"Of course, not." He said, "I-,"

"A couple of nights ago, you-,"

"I remember," He inched closer to her, "and you have no idea how sorry I am." He wanted to hold her but he felt himself unworthy of touching her. Not now, especially when he remembered. He was no better than Bruce. He hurt the woman he loved more than anyone in the world.

"He tried to… and I was helpless I couldn't even call anyone for help,"

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry," He pleaded, reaching for her hands. "I promise to protect you now. I promise no one will ever hurt you,"

"I could have run away that night, but I didn't," She interrupted him. "Not because I couldn't," She said. "But because I never planned to leave you, not then and not now. I love you, Damon. And I want to be with only you, forever. I don't care what you are and what you've done. I know any sane person would think that I've gone mad and maybe I have but I'm not sorry that I fell in love with you."

He felt her words break his walls. It wasn't a good choice. They'd just been through the cruelest situation; they were overwhelmed by all sort of emotions. They needed comfort and love. And they found it in each other's souls.

He took her face in his hand, and she pressed her cheek against it. It had all happened so quickly. He inched closer and softly kissed her forehead, her eyes, her cheeks and finally her lips. Soft kisses, kisses meant to heal, to soothe away the loneliness. Beautiful, eager, he kissed her and clasped her yet closer and closer until there was no distance between them.

..

..

 _ ****I will post the second part of this chapter in three days.****_

 **Thank you all for your support. I seriously have the best support group. Thank you all for your kind comments and sweet reviews. I wish I could hug you all.**

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 **Bonnie, (Salvatoreboys4ever), Vidhi (VitsAsh) and Carol (scarlett2112) are my inspiration, do check out their profiles and their wonderful stories.**

 **See you on Sunday!**


	4. Beyond The Stars

**Chapter 3(Final part): 'Beyond The Stars'**

* * *

Tangled in each other's arms, they opened their hearts to each other. "It was difficult. After you left, I had to face many inquiries, they believed I helped you escape. My license got canceled and I was fired and fined heavily, I had to sell my house," She told him, tracing an invisible pattern on his naked chest.

He pulled her closer to him, running his fingers, through her hair, playing with her long locks. "Jer offered me to live with him till I could get back on my own feet again. I was barely alive, I didn't have you, I didn't have my job, I lost my house, I searched for you everywhere, inquired about you from most shady people but nothing. I had nothing to live for. I don't know what I would have done if they hadn't supported me," She said, lost in a thought.

"I'm glad you had someone," He said, filling the silence.

"Hmm," She said in a grim tone. "I know you want to know why I… I'm with Mason?" She felt him stiffen at the mention of her fiancé. He didn't like it when she said his name, how did she expect him to be okay with that.

"Three years ago, Jeremy was working on a contract with George Lockwood, the ex-mayor. One day, he came home, earlier than usual and trashed the house in search for some files. Bonnie, his wife, she asked him what happened but he never told her, he was so worried, there was something seriously wrong," She sat, wrapping her arms around herself as if trying to hold herself from falling apart. "He told us he was going at dad's for something very important. The next day, we got a call that Jer and dad were killed in a serial killer attack," Despite her strict resolve streams of tears rolled down her cheeks. "I don't think they died in an accident, I believe it was planted but my name was already mud in the department, no one believed me," She wiped the corner of her eyes.

"I… I didn't know that," He sat up, turning her to him. He cupped her face, looking at her pain stricken face. "I'm so sorry,"

"There were some serious allegations against him. George blamed him for corruption in the project. Bonnie and I were in serious trouble. Mason helped us in that time, he used his sources, pulled some strings and closed the case, he helped me pay my fine too and bought me my house back. I owed him mine and Bonnie's life. He didn't do it because he loved me, nor did he felt sympathy for me, he did that because he has a mentally challenged daughter and no woman he dated wanted to be with him because of the responsibility. He needed a caretaker for his daughter, a full-time caretaker, who wouldn't leave. So he chose me. I only accepted because I didn't have any other choice, I was already dead. I never looked for love. But if I could give that little girl an ounce of happiness by my presence than so be it."

He bit the inside of his cheek to the point of making it bleed, "He took advantage of your problems, I'm not gonna spare-,"

"I don't blame him," She stopped him, putting her finger against his lips, "He was clear about intention from the start," She reached for his hand, sandwiching it between hers.

"Well, you should know that I also have no intention to give you back,"

"I wouldn't expect any less," She smiled. "I just told you all this, because I wanted to tell you that… I never loved anyone else, you are the love of my life, and I'll love only you till I don't exist anymore," Her fingers tangled in his, her eyes locked with him, promising him forever.

For the first time in a very very long time, a smile graced his lips. "I love you too… more than anyone can ever love anyone,"

"How was it for you?" She inquired, holding his hand, kissing his fingertips with utmost softness. A shiver ran down his body at the display of affection.

"Well, you know what I thought," He said, his eyes fixed on her lips. "I thought I hated you, I told myself that I don't want or need you. But it's easy to say that to yourself when the other person isn't in front of you, I found all the bitter feelings disappear the second I saw you." He confessed.

"You know that I... I never wanted to-," She explained quickly but he put a finger to her lips. "Shh. I know," He pecked her lips, a very small smile on his face, "I understand,"

"Why do you love me so much?" She asked, placing a hand on his cheek. He held it and kissed it. True, why did he love her so much? Because she was the only one who made him feel that. Because she was the one who believed he could change. He'd never wanted and loved anyone so much.

"Because you were made to love,"

..

..

It was weird but she felt at home now. She was kidnapped, forced to live with the most dangerous criminals the world has known but she was fine, comfortable, happy actually.

She knew the crew wasn't surprised that she had started to live in their don's room or that she would have dinners and lunches only with him. What surprised them was their don's light mood and the shadow of a smile on his face whenever he saw her.

He kept her close all the time as if afraid that if he let her out of his sight, he'll lose her. But Elena didn't mind that. Unlike everyone else, she liked to be around him. She would sit with him, do silly things to humor him, make him smile ear to ear and chat non-stop until he kissed her to silence her.

For once, Damon was happy. After finishing up his work, he spent every moment of the day, tangled in Elena's arms and every night he made love to her, and when they were sated they slept together, his head resting against her chest.

His happiness didn't last long. He received the call that Klaus Mikelson was bailed and he had to go and receive him, personally.

He sent Kol to wake Elena up and ask her to get ready. Of course, he wouldn't leave her alone when he was going out of town.

She came downstairs, fully dressed, yawning, stumbling toward him.

He took her hand and pulled her to him, circling both his hands around her waist. "Morning, Sleepy,"

Looking into her eyes he planted a kiss on her lips, she responded back by gently pressing her lips against him while her arms reached around his neck. The feeling of warmth and security holding her was so overwhelming that she didn't want it to let go, but sadly they had to.

"Why are we up so early?"

He sat back on the stool, making her sit on his lap. "Klaus is released. We have to go and bring him here,"

Her brows furrowed. "If Klaus is released then am I…,"

"No. Never." He said, his eyes suddenly darkening.

"Oh…,"

"Hmm." He leaned over to capture her lips once again but then a cough interrupted.

"The transport is ready," Kol said.

They pulled back, groaning, annoyed.

"Let's go, then," Elena said, jumping off his lap.

..

..

They stopped by the beach. She didn't know why they were here. Curious, she wanted to ask Damon but he told her she'll know in a bit time.

He was busy discussing some plans with someone from his gang so she turned her attention to the scenery outside. It's been awhile she had been out. It wasn't like they didn't let her go out of the house but a guard always accompanied her. She had told Damon that if she wanted to run away no one in the world could stop her but Damon told her that the guard wasn't to keep a check on her rather it was for her security. She didn't understand why? She didn't question him much because she sensed that he felt sort of insecure as if he suspected she might betray him again and that she's actually questioning because she wanted to draw information out of him like she did the last time.

She turned to find a diary stuffed in Damon's jacket that he had taken off a while ago. Curiosity got the best of her, she took it out and read it. The handwriting was quite shabby as if a child wrote it. She figured the journal was from his childhood.

"Something interesting?" She almost jumped when she heard his voice.

"Oh. I… found this."

"No, you took it out," He said rolling his eyes, taking the diary from her hand.

"Cute though. You used to write a journal when you were a kid?" She asked, leaning against his arm.

"What? No. It's a to-do list. I need it to remember the contract dates, my victims, keep track of payments and the vehicles I rent for the jobs, I've had it for years,"

"What?" She said, eyes narrowed. She snatched the diary from his hand, opening it, examining the bad handwriting. "This… is quite disturbing handwriting for… thirty-five-year-old man,"

"One thirty-four and two… I have condition so it's understandable."

"Condition?"

"Oh god, Elena. I thought you'd know by now."

"What?"

"I have visual dyslexia, I'm unable to read or write much," He said after a while. She could sense insecurity and shame in his tone.

"What… but when you used to live at my place, you used to read all the time,"

He shook his head, sighing, "I couldn't. It was just an excuse to be near you and not creep you out,"

"Oh." She said, shell-shocked. What kind of psychiatrist was she if she couldn't figure that out?

"I wasn't always like this, you know, I was a bright student, but everything changed after my parents died." He confessed to her after a while.

She looked at him, questioningly. Then he told her his story. He told her that after his parents died, Zach handed him over to his parent's killer in form of his payment of the money he took from them. The local gang sold him off to a human trafficking gang where he was forced to be a labor. He didn't tell her the details but she got the whole sketch of how terrible the place must have been.

She found herself crying for the pain he had suffered. He was only a child and he was forced to work hard labor, he was beaten when he was sick and wasn't treated whenever he got injured. He told her that one day when he couldn't take it anymore, he ran away.

"This world is cruel, Elena and to live here, you have to be just as cruel," He said. He looked up to find her face drenched in tears. It warmed his heart that she felt his pain. No one else before her did. He loved the eyes that worried for him, the heart that cared for him and the girl that loved him. Only him.

"Why couldn't you inform the police or anyone? They would have helped you."

"Elena, do you really think all this would happen if the police officials weren't involved. They get their cut for each dealings. Do you know why I was ordered to kidnap you? It was because Mason broke off a guns deal with Augustine and offered it to another gang for a higher cut."

"Mason is involved too."

"Mason, George, everyone."

She couldn't believe her ears. How can people be so cruel?

She looked back at him and for the first time could see all the invisible scars on his face, the pain, the sufferings. She took him in his arms and buried her face in his neck, promising herself that she'd make sure that no hint of misery ever touches him again. She'll be with him forever and love his pain away, they will stay together until death do them part.

..

..

"How are we going to go all the way to there?" She said as she pointed at the island. They were in the fairly good mood now, having gotten everything off their chest and promised each other forever.

"Don't say boats," She said before he could answer. He shook his head. "Too slow. Guess again?"

"Jet Ski's?"

He nodded. A squeal escaped her lips almost making him jump.

"JET SKI's." She said excitedly. She then looked at the end of the beach. A couple of boatercycles were ready near the beach.

"But I don't know how to drive one," She said as she pouted.

"No one's letting you drive one, you can barely walk without stumbling. I like you too much to lose you so soon." Damon said, rolling his eyes

"Is that so?" She replied with a pout.

He nodded, inching closer to kiss her pout away. She smiled when their lips met. After they were done, the walked hand in hand to the watercraft.

"Is it ready?"

The man nodded.

"Ready?" He said, turning to her.

"Born ready," She replied proudly, making him chuckle.

He took hold of the handle and slid on the seat. She sat behind him, holding him lightly.

"You have to hold on tight or you'll fall off,"

"Haha. As if you'll let that happen," she said confidently.

"True," He said, shrugging as he turned the motor on and navigated the jet ski to the island. He heard her squeal in joy, spreading her arms in the air.

"Elena, you'll fall. Damn it, hold me,"

"I feel like I'm flying," She said, happily, trying to stand but almost lost her balance. He held on to her hand tightly, his other hand on the handle. "Elena, damn it, be careful."

She chuckled, not giving his orders much thought.

"Hold me,"

"I'm fine."

"Suit yourself then" He said as an evil smirk came on his face and he increased the speed of the boater. She held on to him tightly, screaming for a second. "You're such an asshole," She hit him lightly on his arm.

"Told you to listen to me,"

"I was,"

"No, you weren't. You were being a bad girl,"

"But now, you've been a bad boy," She said, circling her arms around his waist, leaning her head against his back.

"Yes, and I think I should be punished."

"You'll be. Tonight." She replied, making a fake face.

"Sounds interesting."

"It's not what you think, I'm planning to kick you out of the room,"

"I refuse to stay away from you," He said it so firmly as if he would not let anything in the world come between them.

"We'll see."

Her hands caressed his biceps, loving the feel of them. Was he always so strong, so tough? She could feel his heat radiate from his body onto her. If only she could rip his shirt off and… her thought line broke when she heard him chuckle.

"What?" She asked.

"Someone's needy right now."

Her eyes widened. "How did you…,"

"God, I can smell you. We should make a stop. I must get a taste." His words made her turn a shade darker.

"Maybe home,"

"Home," He liked the way she called his house home. He sped the craft forward and stopped it by the coast of the beach.

"It was so amazing. I want another ride again." Elena demanded, holding his arm. He laughed liking the childlike excitement tone and the glow of her face. "Anything my darling demands, she gets,"

"Is that so?" Klaus's cold voice interrupted them.

"Hello, Damon,"

"Hello, Klaus." He replied, his face void of all emotions, standing in front of him as if protecting her from Klaus's stare. A smirk came on Klaus's face.

Now, this was an interesting turn of events. He knew Damon enough to know recognize Elena. She was the same girl, he had talked about in his drunk state, the girl that he loved so much, the girl who played him. So she was Mason's fiance? Augustine would get a kick out of this.

..

..

He crawled off her, met her eyes briefly before he caught her lips in a kiss. She opened her mouth under his, the thrill of his kisses making her toes curl, causing her to moan and arch under him, wanting the feel of his hands on her, she pulled him closer, her hand fisting in his hair.

"Missed me?" She asked with a chuckle.

Damon had been out all day while she waited back at home. He had a meeting with Klaus and Augustine at their headquarters. Mason had agreed on the ransom price and now they were discussing the next step. He had assured her that she didn't need to worry and that she wasn't going anywhere.

"You know, I did," He said rolling his eyes as he buried his face in her neck. She chuckled, slowly caressing the hair on the nape of his neck.

"Tired?" She asked.

"Yes," He said in a childlike way.

She smiled softly, looking down at him. He seemed relaxed and so peaceful. It warmed her heart how every night he would crawl up her body in search for peace that only she could give him.

She played with his hair, quietly then a mischievous thought came to her mind and she took a strand of her hair and tickled his nose.

A smile came to his face. He played along, pretending to sleep. She tickled his nose again.

"Someone wants to play," He muttered, sleepily.

Before she could reply, he held her hand, pinning it to a side, now hovering on top of her. He held her gaze, looking at her with the softest expression.

His eyes were filled with so much love that it took her breath away. He moved closer, sucking on her pulse point. "Never leave me, Elena. I survived last time but this time, I won't be able to live without you,"

"I won't ever, I promise,"

..

..

"How does this looks?" Elena said twirling around in a red baby doll dress.

He laid back on the couch, looking at her with a slight smile on his face, a smile that was only reserved for her. "Beautiful, baby. Just like the last five dresses you tried on,"

She pouted, turning back to the mirror. "So this ball… what exactly is it for?"

"It's a celebration for our win. Mason Lockwood finally surrendered. He'll give us the contract." She sensed the venom in his tone when he said Mason's name.

"He did. Does that mean that I-,"

"No, you're not going back." He said it before she could word it. He rose up, walked to her, circling his arms around her belly, his chin on her neck. "You're staying with me forever,"

She nodded, looking at their reflection in the mirror. She wanted to talk to him about what he had planned for their future because obviously, she couldn't stay here trapped forever, but before she could ask, he lifted her arm and twirled her in a dance move, pulling her against his chest. He liked it when he had her in his arms. He didn't understand why he needed her close so much. He had never needed it before. Why did he love it when every inch of his skin touched hers. Why did he always need her close to his heart?

"Done with the dress up?"

"Can I try one more dress?"

"By all means," He said.

"You're not bored,"

He shook his head, pursing his lips.

"You know what I like this," She said, looking back at the mirror. Their eyes locked in the mirror again. She blushed, noticing his admiring glance travel down her body. "Stop looking at me like that,"

"Like what?" He asked, confused.

"Like you'll eat me up,"

"But I do wanna eat you up," He replied, making her turn a shade darker.

"Oh dear lord," she said, looking away, not strong enough to keep the intense eye contact.

He laughed at her nervous antics, tucking a strand of her hair behind her ear.

"We make a good couple," He said, looking again at their reflection in the mirror. She smiled, turning to it. He wrapped his arms around her, his chin on her shoulder again. Slowly, he leaned closer, nuzzling her neck, trying to start another session of their lovemaking. He had had her two times today but it didn't seem enough.

"Oh, wait, I have something else on my mind," she said, turning around to him excitedly.

"What could be better than this?" Seriously, what could be better than him buried deep inside her? He thought. They were meant to be together like that. They were made for each other.

"Come with me," She held his hand and led him to the couch. She pushed him onto the couch and then hurried to a bookshelf, she took out a book and came back to him and sat next to him.

When he asked her what she planned she told him she wanted to help him with his dyslexia. For a second, he was shocked, "Oh no, you'll only make fun of me. I still haven't forgotten that Youber thing,"

"oober,"

"Whatever,"

"Just try." She pouted, "for me,"

He sighed a heavy sigh and frowned but then agreed. He attempted to read the first paragraph, making so many mistakes but she was patient, she didn't laugh at him like he expected but only encouraged him. And when he was done, she gave him a kiss as a prize for her his work.

"You'll manage to get over this, it's not that hard," She said, climbing onto his lap. "You're already making progress,"

"That's because you're a good teacher, I once went to an unemployed teacher and asked him to help me with this, he told me that I was a waste and that if horses could talk, they would read better than me,"

"How rude!"

"I know right, that's why I killed him,"

She facepalmed. Why was he always thinking violent things, if only she can change his mind? She didn't like it when he talked like that.

"Damon, please," She said uncomfortably.

"What!"

"I... please don't say things like that," She said, making a face.

"Why so?"

"Because I don't like it," She voiced her real feelings. She wanted to make it clear to him that she wouldn't live with him if he didn't plan to leave everything behind.

He remained quiet for a while. He knew she disapproved of his world.

"Damon," She questioned.

"what?"

"If you have to choose between… your world and me who would you choose?" She finally asked him the big question. It wasn't just any question; it was a life-changing moment. He had the ball in his court.

"You, always you," He said, after a brief pause.

"If I ask you… to run away with me… to some far place where there is only you and I? Will you go?" She asked. This question reminded him of when five years ago, he begged her to go with him but she refused and they were forced to part ways from each other.

"Yes, I will," He said, holding her hand.

"You know what I mean by this, don't you? We can't possibly be together here, if we want to be together we have to…,"

"go away, I know."

"So?"

"Will you ever marry me?" He asked a question he had asked her ages ago, a question she never answered.

She bit her lip, looking into his eyes. "Yes."

"Then I'll leave everything for you. But only if you promise to be mine forever. Only if you promise to never change and love me."

"I will. I promise to be with you till my last breath." She vowed.

"Till death do us part," He said with such determination that it shook her. Yes, they'd be together forever.

..

..

The ball was beautiful. The big hall was decorated in a golden and black theme. Shimmering curtains, dim lights, and floral decoration made the place look like heaven.

She accompanied Damon as his date. They turned heads as they made their way to the dance floor and enjoyed a brief dance. Later, he left her on a table with Kol guarding her while he went to attend an urgent meeting.

"I'm telling you, he won't return the girl," Damon could hear Klaus argue. "I had seen him with the girl. He wouldn't even let her go out of his sight,"

"Well he has to," Augustine said coldly.

"What's this all about?" He said as he entered.

"Good Evening, Damon. Glad to see you here. I hope you and your lady enjoyed the ball,"

"We did." He said hesitantly.

"Take a seat, we need to discuss some necessary arrangements,"

"Me too, sir." He said, biting his lower lip. He was always so calm and collected but today he felt nervous. It wasn't easy to join mafia but it was almost impossible to leave.

"Me first, Damon," Augustine said. "Klaus tells me here, that you fancy Miss Gilbert. Some past romance? Is that true?"

"She's… she's the love of my life," He accepted, not seeing the point to lie.

"Oh, dear, and we sent you to kill her. How cruel of us?"

"But I have talked to you about that. I have returned the money too. And what's the point of killing Elena... we've settled our issues with Mason," He said quickly, his hand reaching for the gun in case Augustine refused.

"Oh, yes, I know. I am not asking you to kill her, Damon, relax."

He sighed out of relief.

"Get a hold of yourself, Damon. Emotions are never good in the kind of work we do."

"I don't want to do this anymore, Augustine," Damon said, his tone serious.

"Why? Did the girl tell you again that you're redeemable? Do you think you can be saved after the wicked things you did." Klaus mocked. He knew about Damon's story. He was the one who had helped Damon break free from prison. He'd witnessed the violent rampages Damon did whenever he missed Elena, whenever he was too drunk and vulnerable.

"Don't go there, Klaus."

"The girl has deceived him once, she's tricking him again. For all we know the FBI has sent her on a mission-,"

"That's ridiculous. Elena would never dece-,"

"Enough," Augustine stopped them. "Damon, we have to return Miss Gilbert to Mason."

"What?" He seemed thunderstruck.

"Mason had promised to give us all the contracts and has given us access to city underground passes. We can sell our weapons tax-free, in fact, he'll help us store and deliver them to our clients. Do you know what that means? We won't have to give the fifty percent cut we have to give to police. This is a deal of a lifetime. In return he demands his fiancé back, safe and secure and I had already signed the deal,"

"No,"

"I'll give you a thirty percent cut."

"No. She loves me. She doesn't want to go to him."

"He wants her at all cost and we'll make sure he gets her."

"No!" He growled. He took his gun out, pointing it to Augustine.

Augustine glared at him, surprised at the gesture.

"Sir," All his guards pointed their guns at Damon, ready for a sign to fire but Augustine held up his hand.

"Indeed I have nourished a snake. Do you forget all I did for you? I took you in when you were just a mere teenager, living on street, stealing to eat. I took you home, fed you, gave you a place to live, food to eat, made you the strong man you are today. Everyone fears you because of me. The power that you have is all because of me, I've granted you that, and you're holding a gun at me, your savior, for a girl." Augustine spat.

"And I gave you my loyalty. I did everything you asked me to do. I killed people for you. I destroyed families on your orders. I became an aggressive lunatic. I lost my the peace of my soul because of you. You didn't do me any favor, Augustine, I paid for everything you did for me, and don't you dare talk about my girl like that. She's my world. She's taught me how to live, love. She've made me smile. I'll not tolerate a word against her,"

"You have twenty-four hours, Damon. Play with the girl as much as you want. She's your toy for tonight. But tomorrow, at this time, we're returning her, and that's final." Augustine hissed. "Throw him out,"

And before he could protest, a couple of guards attacked him and pushed him out of the room.

..

..

He was pacing back and forth in the room, she had never witnessed so much anger in a person just oozing out of his red eyes, he instantly stopped and headed to where she was sitting, she poured him a glass of water which he didn't touch, "He thinks he can do whatever he wants but no, I won't allow that, you know I could have killed them if you weren't down in the lobby. He had me cornered because of you,"

She cupped his face, "Calm down, Damon, look even if he hands me back to Mason, he can't force me into marrying him."

He flinched at her words, "He's not a normal guy he's from the fucking Mafioso. When we want something we get it, he'll not give you away just like that. I can't risk you, you don't understand,"

"Oh okay. Okay," She gulped thick and nodded, "So what's in your head?"

He bit on his lips, looking at her with a strange desperation. He just couldn't give up on her, he needed her more than the next breath, "Pack your bags, Elena, I want us to leave before the dawn. There is a whole society of Mafioso's right here and let's be logical, I can't manage to fight all of them, we need to escape, I am not worried about me but I don't want those animals to harm a hair on your head,"

She nodded in agreement getting up, "But where are we going?"

He stood up too "I don't know Elena, somewhere far, on the other side of the world maybe, I don't even know if we would be able to keep these names, but we'll manage. Are you with me?"

"Of course,"

He leaned forward and pressed a kiss to her forehead, "Okay then. I am going to check the transport."

She saw him leave, her heart was sinking as she packed their bags but at the same time she was happy that they were finally going to start their life again, she loved this man and nothing else mattered to her right now, she carefully folded his shirts placing them in the bag, the fragrance of his shirts made her sigh, she missed him already, how would she ever live without him if they sent her away from her Damon, she brought the shirt close to her face and breathed deep holding it close to her, she couldn't wait for this new 'life' that awaited them, when she folded the shirt, something fell out of it, his dairy, the one she saw the other day, she picked it up and was about to close it when something got her attention, her surname 'Gilbert' , she read closer and could clearly see the date now, three years back , she tried to read closer and it got clearer to her, tears started pooling her eyes.

"Jeremy Gilbert," Scribbled in bold.

 _"I need it to remember the contract dates, my victims, keep track of payments and the vehicles I rent for the jobs,"_

"He killed my brother,"

The second the door opened, she could hear him, not her lover anymore, not her love, a murderer, a liar. She felt her love turn into the most venomous hate.

He asked her, "Done, love?" zipping the bags.

She wiped the tears with her palm before he could see her, "Yes I am done." Her voice was hurt and cold.

He looked up at her as she handed him his diary, he held it and threw it over to the dustbin, "I don't need that anymore. Come here."

He pulled her closer cupping her face, "This is all for you, Elena, everything I do is for you, you're ready, right? Ready for our forever now?"

She pursed her lips, Jeremy's face was swimming before her eyes and she could feel something coming up her throat, he noticed her face turning red.

"What's wrong baby?" he whispered caressing her cheeks with his hands, she shook her head, her voice was heavy and she wanted to cry, cry loud, shout at him, tear him in half, scratch his beautiful face, she wanted to ask why he did it to her. But she couldn't she loved him so much that her heart was tearing into half. How could she still love him? She shook her head again, feeling bile rise to her throat. "I... I don't feel so good; can I use the restroom before we go?"

He nodded, she pulled her hands out of his and went into the restroom, he could sense some trouble, he called after, "Let me know if you need help, love, I will go get you some meds."

..

..

"Hello Mason?"

"Elena, Elena baby is that you?" She heard his worried voice.

"Mason, he's taking me away,"

"What?"

"Mason, you have to… help…," She hung up when she heard Damon footsteps.

"Love?" Damon called her.

"Coming!"

..

..

He picked up the bags. Despite the unfavorable circumstances he was happy and excited to start a new life. He looked back to her. She was staring at the floor, a look of anguish on her face. She looked up at him with the most distraught expression in her eyes.

"Are you okay?" He asked her but she looked away. A lone tear rolling down her cheek.

"Elena." He seemed worried now. He put the bag back on the bed and went to her. He sunk to his knees next to her, cupping a side of her face but still she refused to look at him.

"what's wrong?"

"Don't touch me," she pushed his hand away.

"What?" He was surprised. She was okay, just a few moments ago. She was completely in love with him, and she wanted to run away with him, then what happened.

"You killed my brother, didn't you?" She asked, looking at him with hurt and accusing eyes.

His mouth fell open, the accusation hitting him straight in the heart.

"I-," He couldn't quite remember. Did he kill her brother? He couldn't have. But he had killed so many people, he didn't remember all of his victims.

"Jeremy Gilbert, my little brother. He worked for Mayor George Lockwood. You did all George's dirty work on Augustine's order, didn't you? You killed Jeremey because he found out about George's deal with the underworld." She hissed. She had just made the connection.

She remembered how worried her brother was a day prior to his murder. He had told her that George was doing something illegal and that he had proofs but before he could give them to FBI he was killed.

So, Damon was the killer. She thought. He had killed her brother on George's contract. And then killed her father just because he was there.

"I saw his name in your diary." She continued.

He looked down ashamed, running his fingers through his hair, murmuring, "No. no. no. God, what I have done? Elena, I… I honestly didn't know. I love you I can't-,"

"You have the audacity to tell me that you love me," Elena hissed, standing up. She quickly walked down the stairs, she couldn't be in the same room as his. She was afraid she would hurt him. All, she knew was that she couldn't stand the sight of him. Not that she didn't love him, yes she did, with all her heart but she couldn't be with him anymore. Not when she knew he had killed her brother.

He watched her walk away. He couldn't bear it, the pain was too much. All he knew was that if she was leaving him, he didn't want to live anymore. He had to stop her, beg for forgiveness and ask her to take him back. He picked up his diary and ran after her.

"Elena, Elena, stop."

She didn't stop.

"I am sorry, I really am. But I didn't do it on purpose."

She turned, looking at him with utmost anger. Mason would be here any minute now. He would take her away from Damon. She would live her life alone now, but she refused to live with him.

"Elena, I don't even remember what he looked like. If I knew he was your brother I would have-,"

"That's the problem, Damon. For you everyone is just a victim but do you know how many families you have broken, how many lives you have destroyed." She shouted in utter despair.

That was the moment he regretted everything that he had ever done, every choice that he had ever made. He wished he could turn back time, go to that very moment when he decided to become a cold heartless killer. Her agony made him realize the depth of the crime he had committed. "I'm a monster, I know. But you can fix me. Love me Elena. Make me a better person. I promise I'll spend every day proving to you that I'm worth it," He pleaded.

She sensed truth in his tone, and unmeasurable love in his voice. Can she do that? Can she fix him? Maybe she could. But he murdered her brother and her father. Her only family. Can she forgive him?

"Please, Elena." He held both her hands, "Love me, fix me,"

With the way he looked at her, and the way he begged, she found her heart melting. But before she could open her mouth, she heard gunfire.

"Oh fuck," Damon held her hand, hiding her behind him. They have come before time. He looked around to see, vehicles approaching them. He held her tightly and made a run to their car.

"Fuck… keys. Inside. I'll get them,"

"Damon, here." Kol's voice interrupted them. He looked back to find Kol standing behind him with the stack of keys.

He looked at him uncertainly before taking the keys.

"What are we waiting for?" Kol asked.

"We?" Damon said, "No, kid. You're staying here."

"Of course not. You took me in when I was homeless. You made me promise loyalty to you and I gave my word."

"Kol!"

"We don't have time for this, Damon. You can lecture me on my life choices later." Kol said, opening the door to the car. "Elena, get in." He said to her.

She looked uncertainly at both of them, struggling to say something but when the gunshots drew nearer, Damon grabbed her hand and pushed her into the car.

He followed after her. Kol took the driver seat. He put the keys in the keyhole, turning it, bringing the engine to life and zoomed away.

..

..

They traveled to far end of the city and stopped for the night in the forest at the warehouse which he used before for his victims. It wasn't known to a lot of people so it was considered safe.

They had flights for tomorrow morning. They just needed to spend the night here. She wondered how he could manage plane tickets when he was such a known criminal. But then, nothing was impossible for Mafia. They had connections everywhere.

She still hasn't spoken a word to Damon and neither did he try to talk to her. Kol had noticed how distant they were. They would look at each other now and then but wouldn't address each other, neither speak to each other directly.

He wanted to ask what was wrong but he figured it was their personal problem.

"We don't have anything much to eat here, except for some canned food." Kol said turning their attention to them.

"Give it to her," Damon said, getting up, sliding the slide of his gun and putting it in his pocket.

"I don't want it,"

"You haven't eaten since morning," He said, looking her worriedly.

She never replied and looked away, wrapping her arms around herself.

He took a deep sigh but then nodded. He reached for her hand but she pulled it away out of his reach, turning away from him.

He stood there for a while, broken-hearted and then turned around. "I'm going to go see if the coast is clear, we need to leave this place isn't safe," He said loud enough for her and Kol to hear and then left. Kol followed him out, making sure he had left. When he came back, he found her whispering to her hand. When she saw him, she looked like she had been caught stealing. But then she pretended to not notice him at all, looking away with the same sad look on her face when Damon offered her food. Speaking of which, "What's all this?" Kol asked.

"What?"

"You and Damon? Is everything okay?"

"No." Elena said, truthfully.

"What happened?"

"Kol… he… he killed my brother and my dad," She said after awhile as she broke into sobs. She had a lot on her chest. She told him everything from the start, how she saw the diary, how Damon confessed that he might have done it but he didn't do it purposely, he just didn't know. She told him that she loved Damon and she couldn't stand to live a life without him but she couldn't find it in her heart to forgive him. "I think I should go. What's the point of running away when I can't stand the sight of him? It's better if I return, this way Damon would be safe, I'll break my engagement with Mason and-,"

"No. I don't think he killed your brother, Elena." Kol interrupted.

"What? Are you serious?"

"Yes, for real, because… you said your brother's name is Jeremy… the one who was senior director of the underpass project, the one who found out how about the Mayor George's deal with Augustine."

"Yes, he's the very one,"

"No, Elena, he didn't kill him. I remember because… do you remember a month back when we brought you home and I asked you that I knew you from somewhere? I remember now. I know Jeremy. As you know before we kill our target we find out everything about them and I had seen you with him. It's true we did get the contract and Damon did go to kill him, but as we entered his office room Damon saw your picture on his desk. Back then I didn't know about you so I didn't know what happened to him, all I remember is that, he looked at your picture for a long time and then he canceled the plan. Maybe he figured that Jeremy was somehow related to you. Or maybe he couldn't just kill someone after he'd seen you, But I'm a witness, Elena. Damon didn't kill Jeremy."

A heavyweight lifted off her chest when she heard those words. She felt her face wet with tears, tears of relief, tears of pain.

"Klaus was then sent to kill him." He completed. "I'm sorry, Elena. I-,"

"It's okay. Don't blame yourself. You have nothing to do with what your brother did," Elena said, holding his arm, "But thank you for telling me this. You don't know how much it means to me,"

"All clear, we should probably get out," They heard Damon's voice, interrupting their moment. She hurried to him and embraced him.

For a moment, he was shocked, what had happened. Why the one-eighty suddenly. He thought she hated him a few moments ago. He had half a mind of letting her go.

"Are you okay?" He said, pulling away slightly to look into her eyes.

"You didn't kill him. I know now."

"I'm…,"

"Kol told me everything,"

He looked at Kol as if inquiring what she was talking about. Elena cupped a side of his face, "I'm sorry. I didn't hate you. I was just so hurt."

"Damon, she's talking about that builder that Klaus killed, the only contract that we didn't complete," Kol reminded him.

"He was your Jeremy," Damon asked.

"Yes, he was... I'm just glad that, you weren't involved. I-," It was hard for her to express the relief she felt.

"But he did die because of my gang, Elena." He said, ashamed, his eyes downcast. "You were right. You're always right. For us people are just targets, we never realize how much pain we cause others for just a little cash,"

She nodded, her forehead on his.

"But I promise I'll change now. Not for you. Well, yes partly for you but mostly for myself. I want redemption. I want to make up for the bad I did."

"and I'll help you." She said as she kissed his forehead softly. Then a thought came to her mind. "Damon, we have to go. They'll be here any second."

"No, Elena, honey. They can't. They don't know about-,"

"I told them."

"What?" Shocked washed over his face.

"Please, don't hate me," She held his hand. "I… That was before I found out that you're innocent… I'm sorry I'm so sorry. I was furious that you killed my brother."

"what did you do, Elena?" Kol asked eyes widened.

"I called Mason," She confessed, scared.

"No." Damon shook his head.

"I am sorry, I really am. I was just so furious. I never intended to risk you. I only just wanted to go away." She spoke hurriedly, desperate for his understanding. "I was hurt. Very hurt. But I wanted you safe too so I called him and told him to take me away but leave you alone."

She really meant that. She wanted to punish him for what he snatched from her. But at the same time, she wanted him safe. So she made a deal with Mason. She asked him to take her in exchange for sparing Damon's life.

"Okay. Okay. I understand," He cupped both of her cheeks, understandingly. Surprisingly he meant it. He never forgave anyone but he could easily let her mistakes slide. The desperation in her voice and eyes made him forgive her. What wouldn't he do for her?

"But I wanna go with you now. I want to be with you forever. I love you, only you. Please forgive me,"

"Hey. Hey. Okay. It's fine." He said, not standing the tears in her eyes. "I'll take you away. I will. I forgive you, I understand. I would've done the same,"

"How beautiful!" A cold voice interrupted them mockingly.

..

..

"Mason," Elena gasped.

They looked around and found themselves trapped, while Mason's tall and muscular goons equipped with weapons circled them. Damon recognized some of the men from Augustine's base.

"Hands in the air, kid," Mason said as he pointed his gun at Kol before he could think of something.

"You thought you could run with my woman?" Mason mocked, stepping toward them. "You trash."

"Mason, let us go." Elena requested.

"Aww. But I thought you didn't want to go with him. Wasn't that why you called me to help?" Mason said.

"I don't need your help anymore. I don't want to be with you," Elena said bravely.

"Well, I want to be with you. I spent a great deal on you, you fucking bitch and this is how you repay me, you sleep with this fucking trash, yes Elena, I know everything now."

"What did you call her?" Damon said, threateningly, his eyes turning dark. He was about to attack but Elena held his hand, stopping him.

"Oh. Oh. You have him wrapped around your pinky good." Mason said, with a chuckle. "He was once a good man but you have made him useless. I have a message from Augustine too. He wants me to finish you. He can't stand traitors; you know that no? You went against his orders, you have outgrown your usefulness. And I after I'm done killing you, I'll take this bitch back, play with her, kill her, have her cut in pieces to show the world what happens to those who betray me," Mason said, dangerously.

"Touch her and I'll skin you alive," Damon replied.

"He's not alone, Mason. I'm right here and I have back up on the way," Kol lied expertly. "You're not going back alive either so it's better you let us go now,"

"And if I don't. I'm the fucking Mayor, Elena. Even if you managed to escape today with him. I'll track you both down and have him sent to prison for false allegations. Not that I need those. You can't go anywhere. You can't run forever, you can't escape. Your only option is to accept our original deal. Come to me, and I'll leave him untouched,"

"No!" She heard Damon growl. "Never. She is mine."

"Yes, that's right. I'm his and he's mine. And you can't do anything. Mason, and if you tried, I'll expose you to the world. I'm a witness to the desecration of your vows and duties to the town. I'll expose you to the world and ruin your political career," Elena threatened.

A smirk was playing on Damon's face at her wit. Even with all the power, Mason was helpless, they had cornered him. Kol had played him into thinking that they had back up outside, ready to attack if something happened to him and Elena had threatened to finish his political career if he tried to mess with their escape plan.

Mason bit on his lip. His face furious. He couldn't lose. No. He would never. Elena had been his obsession ever since he had laid his eyes on her. He had done everything to get her love, he even played the sympathy card, using his daughter. He couldn't lose. What about his reputation in the underworld. For Dons, everything was a territory. When Augustine had her kidnapped, he basically challanged him to save his terrtory, his woman from him. Did Elena not know how much deals she cost him? His reputation in the underworld would be mud if everyone knew he couldn't keep his woman from straying. He had to get her back.

But then if got her he could lose his power, he couldn't have that. He had schemed for too long. He had even had his brother killed to get him out of his way.

He stared at Elena longingly. He couldn't let her go. He couldn't lose.

Then a thought came to his mind. How can Kol possibly call for back up. All the men that worked for Damon were Augustine's. And Augustine wanted Damon dead. He didn't have any power anymore.

A smirk curled on his lips. Elena had sliced his heart into pieces when he found out that she had betrayed him and slept with the fucking worthless contract killer. She had just shamelessly confessed to him that she was Damon's. Well, then, if Damon had to die, she would die with him. If he couldn't have her, no one could. He would be killing two birds with one stone, he'd been taking his revenge and make sure that anyone who knew his reality get to leave the warehouse alive.

"Okay. I'll let you go." He said, taking steps back. "We'll leave. But I don't want to see you two ever in my area again."

"We won't come here, I can assure you of that," Elena promised.

"Good." He spat. "Goodbye,"

He turned around, gripping the end of his gun in hand, waiting for the perfect opportunity. Damon's eyes were still stuck on him; he hasn't relaxed yet. He knew something was going through Mason's mind. He held on to Elena tightly, ready to save her in case of danger.

Elena turned to him, a relieved look on her face. "When are we going? We have morning flights right?"

"I have arranged transport from the airport as well, we can stay at my friend's house-," Kol seemed relaxed too, thinking that the danger hovering above them was over.

Just then Mason turned, pointed his gun at Elena. A defending sound echoed in the air. The bullet zoomed toward her but before it could hit her, Damon turned her, shielding her with his body.

His eyes widened when the bullet pierced through his skin.

Elena screamed in agony, as if feeling his pain. He pushed her away, taking out his gun, turning toward Mason. He aimed at his chest and shot continuously. Shielding Elena from any sort of danger. He had to save her no matter what.

Elena fell on a table, her head slammed with it's leg.

She could see Kol help Damon fight against Mason and his men. Somehow one of the bullets hit the light bulb on the top, and the room darkened.

A series of screams and gunfires followed. Blood dripped down her head, she could barely see anymore in the darkness. Her eyes focused on Damon's figure. He was still fighting, his one arm injured from the bullet shot.

She reached her hand for him, whispering his name. "Damon…"

Just then he turned, he made a run toward her. He always did. Whenever she called him, he came to her. He loved her like that. Crazily. Madly. Deeply.

But before Damon could reach her Mason stepped toward her. He pointed his gun at her skull.

"Get away from her," Damon growled.

But Mason had already made up his mind. His finger reached for the trigger.

A loud bang followed.

She closed her eyes in fear, welcoming the pain and death. She opened her eyes to find Damon holding the gun to Mason's back. The bullet has plunged through Mason's chest and out. His body fell freely, life escaping from his eyes.

All guns pointed at Damon.

Images blurred.

She couldn't see anyone anymore. Was she dead? Because she couldn't feel her body, she couldn't move. The last she heard before she dozed off into nothingness was police sirens.

..

..

"Elena, baby. Wake up." She heard an angelic voice. Was she in heaven? Had she died?

"Damon?"

"Yes, baby, I'm here." She felt his fingers slip into hers. "Please wake up. We need to get out of here. Help is here."

"I am alive?" She asked, surprised.

"Yes," He said with somewhat relief. "Come on. We've to get out of here." He helped her up.

"My head hurts," She moaned, rubbing her temple.

"Baby," He looked at her with so much anguish, touching her forehead lightly, with the pad of his fingers. "Let's go out. The paramedics must be out there. Let's get you fixed."

She could hear police sirens.

"Cops are here. Oh, god. We have to run away before they see you."

"No. No. It's okay. It's fine."

"What?"

"I'll explain later, let's just go out first," He said, sliding an arm around her back. He helped her up. Slowly, they walked toward the exit.

"Did they capture them all?" She asked.

"Yes, they did. Mason died though. Kol is injured. He's knocked out. The kid fought pretty good for his age. He's quite bright, that kid. He should stay away from our world. Get him into a school or something-,"

"Yes we will. We'll do that together,"

He remained quiet but nodded. "Come on. They're about to lock down this place, we need to hurry up."

"Yes, and we have flights in the morning too." She reminded him. "I can't wait to start a new life with you," she said as she looked at him tenderly. He turned his face to her too, a soft smile playing on his lips.

Damon's hand reached up and brushed a loose strand of her hair away from her face. His fingers softly trailed down her cheekbone. The tip of his nose left hers as his lips moved forward and closed the millimeters of space that separated them from one another. Their ragged breathing became slow and heavy as their lips melded against each others. Their tongues danced and tangled together. They pulled back, gasping for breath.

She tried to reach for him again but he stopped her, a finger on her lips, "Uh. Ah. Not now love. I hear them close the doors. We can't get locked here. You need medical help. Stitches and all."

"And you too." She said as her eyes traveled to his arm where she remembered the gunshot injury. But strangely it was dry. Maybe she had been wrong. The bullet must have passed near him, maybe it never touched him. She was about to ask him but he silenced her with a hush and promised that he'll tell her everything soon, after she has food in her and her wounds had been nursed.

As they reached the main gate, she could hear Ric's voice, ordering people around.

"Boss there is still someone in there." One of the uniformed men pointed at her.

He turned around, eyes narrowed and then gasped. "Elena. Elena!" He ran toward her.

Elena felt her head heavy again. The blood loss had really weakened her.

She stumbled, and almost fell down had it not been Alaric holding her.

"Elena." She heard Damon's worried voice and Alaric's concerned tone call her name in unison.

"Get her some help. She's badly injured. How did someone not see her inside?" Alaric barked orders.

"They must have kept her in inner rooms. We didn't go there."

She felt Damon clutch her hand tightly, providing her support while the paramedics tended to her gashes and wounds. Her eyesight was still blurred. Every voice just seemed so distant. Anything barely meant sense. Was she passing out again?

"Damon, stay close to me, I don't feel well."

"I'm here, baby. I'm here."

"What is she saying?" Meredith inquired Alaric.

"I don't know. She's mumbling something too low for me to hear. Elena, can you hear us? Do you need anything?" Alaric said, sitting next to her.

"I don't feel well." She said. It felt as if something had been drilling into the back of her skull or she'd been hit hard. She cringed. The pain was agonizing.

"We'd need to take her to the hospital, Ric. She can barely talk. Her gash is still bleeding,"

"Okay." Alaric nodded, "But I need to talk to Donavan about report. What the hell happened here?"

"Sir, a gang war. The kid, Mikelson Kol, told us that the contract killer rebelled against the godfather. Mason Lockwood had been sent to kill him. They had some inner gang issues that led to all this. They had a disagreement on a deal or something. It seems as if Mayor was involved in the dirty dealings too. Anyway, twenty men from Augustine's team, Mayor Mason Lockwood and the very dangerous contract killer Damon Salvatore died. Their bodies were found and recovered. I'll record the report and send it to you by night,"

"What? What? What?" Elena's eyes snapped open. "Damon… Damon isn't dead. He's alive. He's sitting right here." She said, pointing to a side.

"No. Miss Gilbert, I assure he's dead. He was shot in the heart. Twice. I have just seen his dead body." Matt Donavan replied.

"It can't… it can't be,"

 _She opened her eyes, to see all five of the men fighting the man she loved. She wanted to call his name but she couldn't find her voice._

 _While he was busy knocking another man down, a tall man came behind him, he kicked Damon and throwing him against the floor. The other two goons, held him by his hands, forcing him to turn to the man that was holding the gun._

 _"No. Please, don't_ , _" Elena begged. "Please, don't hurt him, please," She pleaded._

 _The man slid the slider of_ gun _and pressed the trigger._

 _Once._

 _Twice._

 _Damon fell down on his knees, writhing in agony. His eyes locked on hers. It reminded him of the time when he had held his knife up to Elena's throat once when she had sneaked up on him._

 _The first time when he fell in love with her eyes. Those brown orbs, filled with life and warmth. He had always wondered how beautiful that beautiful pair of eyes would look on their children. Of course, he had planned that. But now, it was impossible._

 _"Damon," She crawled to reach him but one of the men kicked her, pushing her behind the counter._

 _He wished he could protect her but his body had stopped moving. He knew this was the end._

 _He held her gaze until life dimmed in his eyes._

Despite the memory she still couldn't believe that he had died so Alaric took her to see the body. There he was. Eyes closed as if sleeping. But he was peaceful. Good. No pain would touch him anymore.

She sunk to her knees next to him, reaching to touch him, not believing her eyes. How is that possible? She just saw him. She talked to him. She kissed him. He was holding her hand. She looked around desperately for him. She found him, a little further away from her, his hands folded on chest, looking at her with pained eyes. Was he real? Or a figment of her imagination. She would never know.

"Please don't go. Please don't leave me," She pleaded.

He stepped back. His eyes devastated at the thought of being parted from her.

"Please, don't leave me."

"I wish I could stay. I really do." He whispered. "But we'll meet again. In the world beyond the stars. I'll be waiting."

"Damon, don't go. Please." She hurried after him.

"What the hell, Elena? Stop." Alaric ran after her. Where was she going?

He was going away. Fading in nothingness. She tried to stop him. She called his name, she pleaded for him to stop for her. But he shook his head, smiling an agonized smile. "Goodbye, baby."

..

..

 **5 years later**

Elena was running her fingers through little Jamie's dark raven hair, his curious blue eyes were looking towards the rising sun, he was always very interested in this particular sight. Like his father he enjoyed silence and was a keen observer, he loved peace and Elena always kept him away from the slightest glimpse of violence. It scared her. She just couldn't stand the thought of losing him after how she lost the love of her life, the father of her son.

"Mommy." His voice was just above a whisper.

"Hmm." She too was lost in the comforting silence.

"Dad liked sunrises too" He was always so curious about his father. His mother had told him that he was a great man and that he'd the most loving heart she had witnessed. He wished he'd met his father but his mommy told him his father was in heavens now, he was an angel.

"Yes," She nodded, smiling even though she didn't know for sure, Damon's life had been so rushed, filled with chaos but she had seen him fascinated by it too once or twice.

"What else did he love?"

She chuckled kissing the top of Jamie's head, Jamie had his father's scent, which gave her comfort and hope to live, strength to breath. "Was he a good person, Mommy? Did he love us? Did he love you?"

She nodded, "Your dad was the most beautiful person I ever came to know Jamie, he loved us okay, he loved us more than anyone can love anyone. And his love for me knew no bounds. It can't be measured. He offered everything he had to me."

"Do you think he's watching over us. Kol says that our loved ones are immo…" Sometimes Kol came to visit them. He was in college now. He had mended his ways and was living a life of a good person.

"Immortal," Elena completed.

"Yes, that."

"Of course, he's watching over us. He's always with us, I told you, he's right here," she said, pointing at her heart.

"Why are you asking so many questions today?" She asked before he could inquire more.

"No reason."

"Jamie."

He bit on his lower lip, just like his father did when he was nervous, "I saw him in a dream last night, Mommy, he told me I looked just like him, he told me to take care of you, mum, he doesn't want to see you cry like you did the other day when I took out dad's old picture,"

She gave him a soft smile, "Okay I won't. Just don't get upset Jamie, sometimes Mommy misses Dad, Mommy can, right?"

"But I don't like it when you cry," The look in his eyes reminded her of her Damon. Like his father, Jamie loved Elena too much too. He couldn't stand tears in her eyes.

"I cry, sometimes but It doesn't mean mommy isn't happy, I am very happy because I have you, you're my strength, my life."

"Why doesn't dad live with us, mommy. All the other kid's dad's do."

She pursed her lips, "He didn't belong in this world Jamie, this world didn't treat him right, it doesn't deserve him, he belongs to the heavens, God sent him to love and protect mommy and when he did his job God called him back,"

Jamie sighed, "Now I'll protect you like dad did."

Elena kissed his nose and cheeks, "Sure you will after you grow up."

He made a face, "I am big, see how big my biceps are."

Elena giggled, "Wow so strong,"

He got off her lap, "You're making fun of me, fine! I am not sharing my teddy bear with you anymore."

Elena got up too and followed him, picking him up and kissed his cheek, "My little grumpy nugget."

"Don't call me that, please."

She laughed at his pouty face and planted a kiss on his cheek. He snuggled against her neck, happy. He was the only thing that held her broken heart together. After Damon's death, she was devastated. She didn't want to live. But three weeks later she found out that she was pregnant. So, she lived for her child. She gave him everything that Damon was deprived off as a child, she gave him, security, education, awareness, food and most of all her love and care. But sometimes, she wished Damon was alive to live these moments with her.

Sensing her pain, Jamie looked at her. "Mommy,"

"Yes, baby,"

"Do you ever get sad that you can't see daddy anymore?"

Elena looked at him, feeling tears sting her eyes. It's like he read her mind. "I do, baby. I wish he was here. But he's in a better place, a place where he won't hurt anymore, a place where no pain will ever touch him,"

"Will we ever see him?"

"Yes we will. In a world beyond the stars, we'll meet him. I know he's waiting for us. By now, he must have built a house for us. We'll turn up on his door, we'll meet him. We'll tell him we missed him and then we'll stay with him forever,"

"A world beyond the stars," Jamie whispered. He was about to ask more questions when he heard his friends call him.

"Jamie! You coming for the football practice?"

"Mommy?" He looked at his mother, asking for permission.

She nodded. "But be careful and-,"

"Yes, take care of yourself and other people around you. Don't hurt anyone. Don't be violent. Don't fight. I know." Jamie repeated the daily lecture.

"Okay, then. Go."

"Bye, Mommy,"

"Bye Baby,"

Jamie ran off with his friends, laughing, talking. She waved at him until she could see his distant figure. Sometimes she worried so much about his safety. Just then a wave of wind passed, playing with her hair. It wasn't logical but she could smell Damon's light fragrance in the air as if he was around.

Five years had passed but she never moved on. She had tasted the true love and now nothing seemed good enough. Her heart had broken into bits the day the love her life went away from her life. She wanted to die. Sometimes living felt like such a burden but she had to live for the sake of her son.

However, she waited longingly for the time when she'll unite with her love again. She was waiting in wings for the day when she'd meet him again, in a world far far away from this cruel world, a world beyond the stars, where no one could ever come between two lovers.

* * *

 _Dear Readers!_

 _Now, I know some of you might not be happy right now. But this is how I had made the plotline a year ago. I wanted to make an alternative ending (the reason why I was so late to update final part) but I thought it wouldn't do justice to the plot. This is how I saw the characters end. Serve a little justice and all._

 _Anyway, this is my only story with such type of ending. It was very difficult for me. I am strictly an HEA type writer. And I believe DE must stay together at all cost._

 _I hope you enjoyed. I always aim to make you guys smile but this time, I aimed to elicit another emotion. A little grief. I hope I succeeded in that. (As awkward as that sounds)_

 _Thank you for all your sweet words for this story and all my others as well. I honestly have the best support group. You guys make me so happy with your encouraging words and your feedback regarding all my stories._

 _Now, I'm ready for a little hate too. Yikes._

 _Thank you again for your support and for your time. I'll see you again in my next update 'The Devil's Obsession', also probably my last multi-chaptered story for DE fandom._

 _Love you, all. Be safe._

 _Goodnight._


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